Fort Wainwright, 2020–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look

Trends › By Installation › Fort Wainwright › Before and after 2024

Based on 25 cases · 2024–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Domestic Violence Was the Most Common Charge

All 25 records list charges, and a case with several articles counts under each. Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged in 9 cases (36%), compared with 25% in all Army cases in these years. Article 134 (the general article) was next, at 24%, compared with 21%.

Some less common charges were also charged more often than the Army share. Article 113 (drunken or reckless operation of a vehicle) was charged in 16% of cases, compared with 3%. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) was charged in 16%, compared with 10%. Article 112a (drug offenses) was charged in 12%, compared with 5%. Article 128 (assault) was charged less often: 16% compared with 20%.

Comparing 2020–2023 With 2024–2026

The earlier period had 45 cases over 4 years, about 11 a year. The later years have about 10 a year, counting full years only. The contested share, the portion of cases in which the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge, was about the same: 26% and 24%.

Median confinement went from 6 months to 4 months. Convictions with confinement went from 89% to 91%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 50% to 59%. General courts-martial went from 61% of cases with a court level listed to 47%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 5 of 10 to 3 of 6. Counts this small can change with a single case, so these show direction, not precise rates.

Lower Median Confinement Than the Army

Of 22 convictions, 20 included confinement. The median was 4 months, lower than 6 months for the rest of the Army. A quarter of those sentences were 1.3 years or longer. 12 convictions (55%) included under 6 months, compared with 39% Army-wide.

5 of 22 convictions (23%) included more than one year, compared with 30% across the Army. None included 5 years or more. These sentences are as adjudged at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. They cover every charge in the case.

Bad-Conduct Discharges Only

59% of enlisted convictions included a punitive discharge: 13 bad-conduct discharges and 0 dishonorable discharges. The Army-wide share was 73%. A bad-conduct discharge is the lesser of the 2 punitive discharges available for enlisted members.

A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. These records do not include those.

Pleas and Plea Agreements

Pleas are recorded for all 25 cases: 19 guilty and 6 not-guilty or mixed. The contested share was 24%, compared with 21% for the Army. All 19 guilty pleas are recorded with a plea agreement. Army records show whether an agreement existed, not its terms.

Acquittals and the Choice of Forum

Of the 6 contested cases that reached a verdict in 2024–2026, 3 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty on every charge. That count is small. The earlier period's 5 of 10 is also small.

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. All 4 were enlisted panels. A judge alone heard the other 21. Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas, so the split mostly follows the contested share.

Who Was Tried, and at What Level

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 64% of the accused and NCOs 36%, with 0% officers. Across the Army, junior enlisted accounted for 53%.

A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is capped at one year of confinement and a bad-conduct discharge. The records list 9 general and 10 special courts-martial, and 6 have no level listed. The general share was 47%, compared with 69% Army-wide.

Fort Polk and Fort Sill

Fort Polk (25 cases) and Fort Sill (24 cases) tried a similar number in these years. Fort Wainwright had the lowest median confinement of the 3: 4 months, compared with 6 months and 5 months. It had the lowest punitive discharge share: 59%, compared with 64% and 65%. Its contested share was 24%, compared with Fort Polk's 12% and Fort Sill's 46%.

Timing and What the Data Cannot Show

The records show 11 cases in 2024, 10 in 2025, and 4 in 2026 through June, a partial year. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder are prosecuted, and new sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The data has no offense dates. It cannot separate cases by rule or show whether the changes affected any figure here.

The evidence, plea terms, nonjudicial punishment, and administrative separations are outside the records.

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.