Fort Leonard Wood, 2021–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look

Trends › By Installation › Fort Leonard Wood › Before and after 2024

Based on 38 cases · 2024–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Most Sentences Were Short

86% of the 36 convictions included confinement. The median was 2 months, compared with an Army-wide median of 6 months. 21 convictions (58%) included under 6 months, compared with 39% across the Army. Only 2 (6%) included 6 months to 1 year, compared with 17%.

Some sentences were long. A quarter of those sentences were 1.1 years or longer. 4 convictions (11%) included 5 years or more, and 1 was a life sentence. In all, 8 of 36 convictions (22%) included more than one year, compared with 30% Army-wide. These are sentences as adjudged at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. They cover all charges in the case.

Before and After 2024

The 2021–2023 period had 27 cases over 3 years, about 9 a year. Since 2024 there have been about 13 a year, using full years only. The contested share, the portion of cases in which the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge, went from 22% to 18%.

The sentencing measures changed in different directions. Convictions with confinement went from 72% to 86%. Median confinement went from 6 months to 2 months. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 83% to 52%. General courts-martial went from 65% of cases with a court level listed to 59%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 2 of 6 to 2 of 7. Numbers this small can change with a single case, so these changes show direction only.

Fewer Discharges Than the Army Overall

A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. 52% of enlisted convictions here included one: 9 bad-conduct and 7 dishonorable. Across the Army the rate was 73%.

5 convicted officers or warrant officers appear, and 2 were dismissed, the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without one does not rule out an administrative separation later, which these records do not cover.

The Most Common Charges

All 38 records list charges, and each article is counted once per case. Article 134 (the general article) and Article 128 (assault) were the most common charges, each in 9 cases (24%), compared with 21% and 20% Army-wide. Article 113 (drunken or reckless operation of a vehicle) was charged in 11% of cases, compared with 3% across the Army.

Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged less often than elsewhere: 16% compared with 25%. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) was charged in 11%, the same as the Army share. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) was charged in 11%, compared with 8%.

Convictions on the 2 Most Common Charges

All 9 cases charging Article 134 ended in a conviction on that article, with a median of 53 days of confinement when convicted of it. All 9 cases charging Article 128 did too, with a median of 32 days.

Pleas and the Choice of Forum

There were 31 guilty pleas and 7 not-guilty or mixed pleas. The contested share was 18%, compared with 21% for the Army. Plea agreements are recorded in 29 of the 31 guilty pleas, and 2 have no entry. Army records show whether an agreement existed, not its terms.

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. Members heard 16% of cases with the forum listed: 5 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. A judge alone heard the other 32. Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas, so this split mostly follows the low contested share.

Rank and Court Level

By rank, the accused were 14 junior enlisted members, 19 NCOs, and 5 officers.

A general court-martial can adjudge any lawful sentence. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. 22 of the 37 cases with a court level listed (59%) were general courts-martial, compared with 69% in the rest of the Army. They had a median confinement of 8 months, and 32% were contested. The 15 special courts-martial had a median of 31 days, and 0% were contested. 1 case has no court level listed.

Measured Against Fort Benning and Camp Humphreys

Fort Benning (37 cases) and Camp Humphreys (36 cases) tried a similar number in these years. Fort Leonard Wood had the lowest contested share of the 3: 18%, compared with 20% and 31%. It had the lowest median confinement: 2 months, compared with 5 months and 6 months. It also had the lowest punitive discharge share: 52%, compared with 60% and 61%.

Law Changes and Missing Information

Between January 2024 and October 2026 the records show 15 cases in 2024, 11 in 2025, and 12 in 2026, a partial year. These trials came after December 28, 2023. Since that date, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. New sentencing parameters apply to cases where every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The records list trial dates, not offense dates, so they cannot show which rules applied to a given case or whether the changes affected results.

Evidence, plea terms, and anything resolved outside a court-martial are not included.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.

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.