> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Fort Polk Courts-Martial, 2020–2023: What 40 Cases Show - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-polk-courts-martial-2020-2023/ - Published: 2026-10-28T06:48:31.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:02:42.000Z - Description: Fort Polk had 40 courts-martial from 2020 to 2023. 9 of 14 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (64%), compared with 37% Army-wide. The median confinement after conviction was 1.3 years, compared with 6 months in the rest of the Army. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Fort Polk, Army [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Fort Polk](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-fort-polk/) › 2020–2023 **Short answer:** Fort Polk had 40 courts-martial from 2020 to 2023\. 9 of 14 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (64%), compared with 37% Army-wide. The median confinement after conviction was 1.3 years, compared with 6 months in the rest of the Army. Based on 40 cases · 2020–2023 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Long Sentences After Conviction In all, 30 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 28 of those sentences included confinement (93%). The median was 1.3 years, longer than the 6 months median across the Army. A quarter of those sentences were 3 years or longer. 15 of 30 convictions (50%) included more than one year of confinement, compared with 27% in all Army cases in those years. The most common length was more than 1 year but under 5 years: 13 convictions (43%), compared with 19% Army-wide. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Army cases in those years | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------ | | No confinement | 2 | 7% | 17% | | Under 6 months | 8 | 27% | 39% | | 6 months to 1 year | 5 | 17% | 17% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 13 | 43% | 19% | | 5 years or more | 2 | 7% | 8% | ## Punitive Discharges in 27 of 28 Enlisted Convictions Of 28 convicted enlisted members, 27 received a punitive discharge: 17 bad-conduct and 10 dishonorable. A punitive discharge is a separation ordered as part of the court-martial sentence. Across the Army as a whole, the share was 73%. There were 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 1 was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. An administrative separation can follow a sentence without a punitive discharge, but these records do not show it. ## Full Acquittals in 9 of 14 Contested Cases A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of the 14 contested cases that reached a verdict, 9 ended in a full acquittal (64%). Another 3 ended in a partial acquittal (21%), meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another. The full acquittal rate across the Army was 37%. Army results list findings charge by charge, so partial acquittals appear often in Army data. A group of 14 is small, and a few verdicts can change the rate. ## Pleas and Plea Agreements Fort Polk recorded 26 guilty pleas and 14 contested cases. The contested share was 35%, the same as in all Army cases. Of the guilty pleas, 24 are recorded with a plea agreement and 2 have no entry. Army records say whether there was an agreement, not what it said. Guilty pleas differed by charge. 70% of cases charging Article 134 ended in a guilty plea (7 of 10), compared with 58% of those charging Article 128 (7 of 12). ## Domestic Violence and Child Offenses Charges are listed for 39 of the 40 cases. A case can appear under several articles. Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged in 23% of cases, compared with 13% Army-wide. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) was charged in 18%, compared with 8%. Article 128 (assault) was the most common charge, in 31% of cases, the same as the Army share. Article 134 (general article) was charged in 26%, compared with 22%. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) was charged in 23%, compared with 25%. | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the whole Army docket | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ---------------------------- | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 12 | 31% | 31% | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 10 | 26% | 22% | | [Art. 128b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-128b-domestic-violence/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Domestic violence | 9 | 23% | 13% | | [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault | 9 | 23% | 25% | | [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child | 7 | 18% | 8% | | [Art. 90](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-90/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Willfully disobeying superior officer | 5 | 13% | 7% | | [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 4 | 10% | 15% | | [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 4 | 10% | 11% | ## Results by Charge 8 of 9 domestic violence cases ended in a conviction on that article, with a median confinement of 1.3 years. Only 4 of 9 Article 120 cases ended in a conviction, the lowest rate among the top charges. The median for those convictions was 3 years. 8 of 12 assault cases ended in a conviction on that article (67%), with a median of 3 months. 8 of 10 Article 134 cases did (80%), with a median of 1.7 years. Rows overlap because one case can include convictions and acquittals on different articles. The records do not say why an accused pleaded guilty or contested the case. | Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it | | -------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- | | Art. 128 Assault | 12 | 8 (67%) | 3 months | | Art. 134 General article | 10 | 8 (80%) | 1.7 years | | Art. 128b Domestic violence | 9 | 8 (8 of 9) | 1.3 years | | Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 9 | 4 (4 of 9) | 3 years | ## Panels and General Courts-Martial The accused usually chooses between a military judge alone and a panel of members. A judge alone decided 30 cases, enlisted panels 8, and officer panels 2\. Members heard 25% of cases, compared with 21% in the rest of the Army. Members also heard 10 of 14 contested cases (71%). General courts-martial, which can impose any lawful sentence, handled 38 of the 40 cases (95%), compared with 75% across the Army. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. The accused were 26 junior enlisted soldiers, 11 NCOs, and 3 officers or warrant officers. In the Army as a whole, 57% were junior enlisted. ## Fort Knox and Fort Sill Fort Knox tried 39 cases in these years and Fort Sill 37\. At Fort Knox, 6 of 10 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. Its median confinement was 5 months, and its punitive discharge share was 54%. At Fort Sill, those figures were 4 of 10, 6 months, and 77%. | Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | | ------------ | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- | | Fort Polk | 40 | 35% | 9 of 14 | 1.3 years | 96% | | Fort Knox | 39 | 26% | 6 of 10 | 5 months | 54% | | Fort Sill | 37 | 30% | 4 of 10 | 6 months | 77% | ## Years Covered and Gaps The cases are from November 2020 through December 2023: 1 in 2020, 10 in 2021, 6 in 2022, and 23 in 2023\. Together they are 3% of the 1,581 Army courts-martial in those years. This data has few Army records before 2021\. Matters resolved by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are absent, and the records do not describe the evidence or plea terms. Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Every court-martial in the data tried at Fort Polk with a trial date in 2020–2023 (40 cases), compared with all 1,581 Army trials in those years. Dates are trial dates. Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com. ## Related Analysis - [Fort Polk: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-fort-polk/) (hub) - [Army Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial/) (hub) - [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub) - [Inside 25 Courts-Martial at Fort Polk, 2024–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-polk-courts-martial-2024-2026/) (another period) - [What Was Tried at Vilseck (Europe), 2020–2023? 43 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/vilseck-europe-courts-martial-2020-2023/) (same years, similar size) - [What Was Tried at Fort Wainwright, 2020–2023? 45 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-wainwright-courts-martial-2020-2023/) (same years, similar size) - [Camp Humphreys, 2020–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 69 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-humphreys-courts-martial-2020-2023/) - [Fort Bliss, 2020–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 102 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-bliss-courts-martial-2020-2023/) - [Fort Bragg Courts-Martial, 2020–2023: What 143 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-bragg-courts-martial-2020-2023/) - [Fort Carson, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 45 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-carson-courts-martial-2024-2026/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) Next: [Inside 25 Courts-Martial at Fort Polk, 2024–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-polk-courts-martial-2024-2026/) → ## Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Fort Polk, 2020–2023 - [Lanny Acosta Jr.](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-lanny-acosta-jr/) - [Gregory B. Batdorff](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-gregory-b-batdorff/) - [Michael C. Friess](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-michael-c-friess/) - [Scott Z. Hughes](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-scott-z-hughes/) - [Maureen A. Kohn](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-maureen-a-kohn/) - [Joseph T. Marcee](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-joseph-t-marcee/) - [Tiffany D. Pond](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-tiffany-d-pond/) - [Javier E. Rivera Rosario](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-javier-e-rivera-rosario/) 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judges/) 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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.