Fort Leavenworth, 2020–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
Fort Leavenworth tried 20 courts-martial in 2024–2026, and 18 of them were general courts-martial (90%). The median confinement was 1.2 years, compared with 6 months across the Army. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 40% in 2020–2023 to 81%.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › Fort Leavenworth › Before and after 2024
Short answer: Fort Leavenworth tried 20 courts-martial in 2024–2026, and 18 of them were general courts-martial (90%). The median confinement was 1.2 years, compared with 6 months across the Army. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 40% in 2020–2023 to 81%.
General Courts-Martial in 18 of 20 Cases
A general court-martial is the highest trial level. It can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge or dismissal. At Fort Leavenworth, 18 of the 20 cases in 2024–2026 were general courts-martial (90%), compared with 69% Army-wide. In 2020–2023 the share at Fort Leavenworth was 93%.
A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. Only 2 cases here were tried at that level.
Confinement Longer Than the Army Median
Of 19 convictions, 84% included confinement. In 2020–2023, every conviction did (100%). The median term was 1.2 years, compared with 1 year in 2020–2023 and 6 months across the Army in 2024–2026.
A quarter of the terms with confinement were 3.8 years or longer. These are the sentences announced at trial. They come before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers all of the charges in its case.
| 2020–2023 | 2024–2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 14 | 20 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 14% | 35% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 1 of 2 | 1 of 7 |
| Convictions with confinement | 100% | 84% |
| Median confinement | 1 year | 1.2 years |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 40% | 81% |
| General courts-martial | 93% | 90% |
Sexual Assault and Child Sexual Abuse Charges
All 20 records list the charges. Article 128 (assault) was the most common, in 6 cases (30%), compared with 20% across the Army.
Article 120 (rape and sexual assault), Article 128b (domestic violence), and Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) each appeared in 5 cases (25%). The Article 120 share was higher than the 11% Army-wide, and the Article 120b share was higher than the 8% Army-wide. The Article 128b share was the same as the Army's 25%.
Article 80 (attempts), Article 90 (willfully disobeying a superior officer), Article 134 (the general article), and Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) each appeared in 2 cases (10%). Each article counts once per case.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Army as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 6 | 30% | 20% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 5 | 25% | 11% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 5 | 25% | 25% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 5 | 25% | 8% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 2 | 10% | 8% |
| Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer | 2 | 10% | 6% |
| Art. 134 General article | 2 | 10% | 21% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 2 | 10% | 10% |
Punitive Discharges and Dismissals
Of 16 convicted enlisted members, 13 received a punitive discharge: 8 bad-conduct discharges and 5 dishonorable discharges. That is 81%, compared with 73% across the Army and 40% at Fort Leavenworth in 2020–2023.
3 convicted officers or warrant officers appear in the records, and 2 were dismissed. Dismissal is the officer counterpart to a punitive discharge. Those who received no punitive discharge can still face administrative separation.
Pleas and Plea Agreements
There were 13 guilty pleas and 7 not-guilty or mixed pleas. The contested share was 35%, compared with 14% at Fort Leavenworth in 2020–2023 and 21% across the Army.
Army records note whether a plea agreement existed but not what it said. Of the 13 guilty pleas, 12 are recorded with an agreement and 1 has no entry. Of the contested cases that reached a verdict, 1 of 7 ended in a full acquittal.
Panels Heard 2 Cases
Members decided guilt in 10% of cases with the forum listed: 1 enlisted panel and 1 officer panel. A military judge alone decided the other 18. In most cases the accused picks between a judge alone and members.
Rank and Yearly Counts
By rank, the accused were 15 junior enlisted members, 2 NCOs, and 3 officers. That group was more junior than the rest of the Army.
The records show 7 cases in 2024, 9 in 2025, and 4 in 2026 through July, a partial year. Fort Leavenworth had 14 cases in 2020–2023. Counting full years only, that is about 4 a year before and about 8 a year since. With 20 cases, a few cases can change a percentage by a large amount.
Comparison With Similar Installations
Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston tried 21 cases in the same years and Fort Sill tried 24. Their median confinement was 4 months and 5 months, both shorter than at Fort Leavenworth. Their punitive discharge rates were 41% and 65%. Fort Sill had a higher contested share, 46%, and Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston had a lower one, 5%. Among contested cases that reached a verdict, Fort Sill had 2 of 11 end in a full acquittal.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Leavenworth | 20 | 35% | 1 of 7 | 1.2 years | 81% |
| Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston | 21 | 5% | 0 of 1 | 4 months | 41% |
| Fort Sill | 24 | 46% | 2 of 11 | 5 months | 65% |
The 2023 Rule Changes and Record Limits
Sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder are among the covered offenses that special trial counsel, rather than commanders, have decided whether to prosecute since December 28, 2023. If every guilty finding in a case is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sentences within new sentencing parameters. These records carry trial dates, not offense dates, so they cannot show which rules applied.
Evidence, plea terms, and cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation do not appear in the records.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Fort Leavenworth in 2020–2023 (14) and 2024–2026 (20).
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Fort Leavenworth: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Fort Leavenworth Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 20 Cases Show
- What Was Tried at Fort Leavenworth, 2020–2023? 14 Courts-Martial
- Camp Humphreys, 2020–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- Fort Benning, 2021–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- Fort Bliss, 2020–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- Fort Bragg, 2020–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- Fort Campbell Before and After 2024: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Fort Leavenworth, 2024–2026
- Larry A. Babin Jr.
- Gregory R. Bockin
- Rebecca K. Connally
- John H. Cook
- Frederic P. Gallun
- Tyler J. Heimann
- Adam S. Kazin
- John R. Longley III
- Scott A. Oravec
- Alexander N. Pickands
- Tyesha L. Smith
- Kenton E. Spiegler
Names and links only. Each judge's record of pleas, findings, and sentences is on their Know Your Judge page, part of the Court-Martial Characters membership.
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.