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# What Fort Polk Tried in 2023
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-polk-courts-martial-2023/
- Published: 2026-10-30T08:12:48.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:12:48.000Z
- Description: Fort Polk tried 23 courts-martial in 2023. Every one of the 15 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge (100%), compared with 74% in the rest of the Army. The median confinement was 1.4 years, compared with 6 months Army-wide.
- 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/) › 2023

**Short answer:** Fort Polk tried 23 courts-martial in 2023\. Every one of the 15 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge (100%), compared with 74% in the rest of the Army. The median confinement was 1.4 years, compared with 6 months Army-wide.

Based on 23 cases · 2023 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

## A Punitive Discharge in Every Enlisted Conviction

A punitive discharge for an enlisted member is a bad-conduct or a dishonorable discharge. All 15 convicted enlisted members at Fort Polk received one, and 7 of those were dishonorable. Across the Army the share was 74%.

The records show 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 1 was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

## Longer Confinement

Of 17 convictions, 16 carried confinement. The median confinement was 1.4 years, longer than the 6 months across the Army. A quarter of the sentences that included confinement were 4.5 years or longer.

These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.

## Contested Cases and Acquittals

Of the 23 cases, 8 were contested, meaning a not-guilty or mixed plea, and 15 ended in guilty pleas. The contested share, 35%, is higher than the 31% in the Army as a whole. All 15 guilty pleas are recorded with a plea agreement. Army records say whether there was an agreement, not what it said.

Of the 8 contested cases that reached a verdict, 6 ended in a full acquittal.

## Panels and Rank

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A judge alone decided 15 of the 23 cases (65%). Members heard 8: 7 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel.

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 61% of the accused, NCOs 26%, and officers 13%. Across the Army, junior enlisted members were 56% of the accused.

## General Article and Domestic Violence

All 23 records list charges, and one case can appear under several articles. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 8 cases (35%), compared with 24% across the Army. Article 128b (domestic violence) appeared in 7 cases (30%), compared with 21%.

Article 128 (assault) was charged less often than Army-wide, in 22% of cases compared with 26%. Article 133 (conduct unbecoming an officer) appeared in 2 cases (9%), compared with 3%.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                  | Cases | Share here | Share, the Army as a whole |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | -------------------------- |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article                      | 8     | 35%        | 24%                        |
| [Art. 128b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-128b-domestic-violence/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Domestic violence                        | 7     | 30%        | 21%                        |
| [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault                       | 5     | 22%        | 21%                        |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                              | 5     | 22%        | 26%                        |
| [Art. 90](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-90/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Willfully disobeying superior officer  | 3     | 13%        | 7%                         |
| [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child | 2     | 9%         | 8%                         |
| Art. 82 Soliciting                                                                                                                            | 2     | 9%         | 1%                         |
| Art. 133 Conduct unbecoming an officer                                                                                                        | 2     | 9%         | 3%                         |

## Court Level

There were 21 general and 2 special courts-martial. The general share, 91%, is higher than the 76% in the rest of the Army. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

## Fort Stewart and Wheeler Army Airfield

Fort Stewart and Wheeler Army Airfield each tried 24 cases in 2023\. Fort Polk had the longest median confinement of the 3, 1.4 years, compared with 4 months and 8 months. Its enlisted punitive discharge share, 100%, was higher than the 71% and 84% at the other installations. Full acquittals in contested cases were 6 of 8 at Fort Polk, 6 of 9 at Fort Stewart, and 5 of 12 at Wheeler Army Airfield.

| Installation          | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
| --------------------- | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- |
| Fort Polk             | 23    | 35%       | 6 of 8                              | 1.4 years          | 100%                          |
| Fort Stewart          | 24    | 38%       | 6 of 9                              | 4 months           | 71%                           |
| Wheeler Army Airfield | 24    | 50%       | 5 of 12                             | 8 months           | 84%                           |

## Missing From the Records

The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. Cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation do not appear.

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 tried at Fort Polk with a trial date in 2023 (23 cases).

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)
- [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Polk: 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-polk-courts-martial-2024/) (previous / next)
- [Fort Polk Courts-Martial, 2020–2023: What 40 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-polk-courts-martial-2020-2023/) (the whole period)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Camp Humphreys: 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-humphreys-courts-martial-2024/)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Camp Humphreys: 2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-humphreys-courts-martial-2025/)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Benning: 2022](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-benning-courts-martial-2022/)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Benning: 2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-benning-courts-martial-2023/)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Benning: 2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-benning-courts-martial-2025/)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

Next: [A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Polk: 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-polk-courts-martial-2024/) →

## Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Fort Polk, 2023

- [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/)
- [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.