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Understanding Trends

A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Sill: 2023

Fort Sill tried 17 courts-martial in 2023. Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged in 41% of cases, compared with 21% across the Army. The contested share was 35%, compared with 31%, and 3 of the 6 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal.

Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 4 min read

Trends › By Installation › Fort Sill › 2023

Short answer: Fort Sill tried 17 courts-martial in 2023. Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged in 41% of cases, compared with 21% across the Army. The contested share was 35%, compared with 31%, and 3 of the 6 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal.

Based on 17 cases · 2023 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Domestic Violence and the General Article

All 17 records list charges, and one case can appear under several articles. Article 128b (domestic violence) appeared in 7 cases (41%), compared with 21% in the rest of the Army. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 6 cases (35%), compared with 24%.

Article 120c (other sexual misconduct), Article 85 (desertion), and Article 107 (false official statements) each appeared in 2 cases (12%). Across the Army those shares were 3%, 3%, and 4%.

UCMJ ArticleCasesShare hereShare, the whole Army docket
Art. 128b Domestic violence741%21%
Art. 134 General article635%24%
Art. 128 Assault424%26%
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault212%21%
Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct212%3%
Art. 85 Desertion212%3%
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child212%8%
Art. 107 False official statements212%4%

Contested Cases and Verdicts

In 11 cases the accused pleaded guilty, and 6 were contested, meaning a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share, 35%, is higher than the 31% in the rest of the Army. All 11 guilty pleas are recorded with a plea agreement.

Of the 6 contested cases that reached a verdict, 3 ended in a full acquittal.

Confinement

Of the 17 cases, 14 ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 13 of those sentences included confinement (93%). The median confinement was 6 months, the same as the median in the rest of the Army. A quarter of the sentences that included confinement were 3 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.

Punitive Discharges

Of 14 convicted enlisted members, 10 received a punitive discharge: 6 bad-conduct and 4 dishonorable. The share, 71%, compares with 74% across the Army. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Rank, Court Level, and Forum

By rank, the accused were 12 junior enlisted members and 5 NCOs, with no officers, a more junior group than the Army as a whole.

There were 13 general and 2 special courts-martial, with 2 not listed. The general share, 87%, compares with 76% in the rest of the Army. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

A military judge alone decided 13 cases, and enlisted panels heard 3. Members heard 19% of the cases, the same as the 19% in the Army as a whole.

Fort Carson and Fort Benning

Fort Carson tried 20 cases in 2023 and Fort Benning tried 21. Full acquittals in contested cases were 3 of 6 at Fort Sill, 3 of 10 at Fort Carson, and 0 of 4 at Fort Benning. The median confinement was 6 months at Fort Sill and Fort Carson and 5 months at Fort Benning.

InstallationCasesContestedFull acquittals (decided contested)Median confinementPunitive discharge (enlisted)
Fort Sill1735%3 of 66 months71%
Fort Carson2050%3 of 106 months94%
Fort Benning2119%0 of 45 months70%

Outside These Records

Only cases that reached a courtroom appear here. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, and cases closed without action are not included. The records do not describe the evidence or the plea terms.

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

How We Counted

Every court-martial tried at Fort Sill with a trial date in 2023 (17 cases).

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.

Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Fort Sill, 2023

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.

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