> ## 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. # What Was Tried at Groton, Connecticut, 2013–2017? 26 Courts-Martial - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/groton-connecticut-courts-martial-2013-2017/ - Published: 2026-10-28T06:48:35.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:02:46.000Z - Description: Groton, Connecticut tried 26 courts-martial from 2013 to 2017. 91% of its convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 63% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. Article 134 (general article) was charged in 38% of cases, compared with 13% service-wide. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Groton, Connecticut, Navy-Marine Corps [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Groton, Connecticut](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-groton-connecticut/) › 2013–2017 **Short answer:** Groton, Connecticut tried 26 courts-martial from 2013 to 2017\. 91% of its convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 63% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. Article 134 (general article) was charged in 38% of cases, compared with 13% service-wide. Based on 26 cases · 2013–2017 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Punitive Discharges in 20 of 22 Enlisted Convictions Of 22 convicted enlisted members, 20 received a punitive discharge, meaning a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge: 12 bad-conduct and 8 dishonorable. In all Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years, the share was 63%. There were also 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, and neither was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not track. ## The General Article Was the Most Common Charge Every case has a charge list, and a case with several articles appears under each. Article 134 was charged in 10 of the 26 cases (38%), compared with 13% Navy and Marine Corps-wide. Article 121 (larceny) was also charged more often than the service rate: 19% compared with 13%. Some sexual offense charges were also more common. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) was charged in 15% of cases, compared with 7%. Article 120c (other sexual misconduct) was charged in 12%, compared with 4%. Assault was less common: Article 128 (assault) was charged in 19% of cases, compared with 38% service-wide. Article 120 (sexual assault) was charged in 19%, compared with 23%. Drug offenses (Article 112a, wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) were charged in 15%, lower than 22% across the service. | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, all Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 10 | 38% | 13% | | [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault | 5 | 19% | 23% | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 5 | 19% | 38% | | [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny | 5 | 19% | 13% | | [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 4 | 15% | 22% | | [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child | 4 | 15% | 7% | | [Art. 107](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com) False official statements | 3 | 12% | 13% | | [Art. 120c](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120c/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Other sexual misconduct | 3 | 12% | 4% | ## Longer Sentences Than the Service Median Of 24 convictions, 20 included confinement. The median was 10 months, longer than 6 months for the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole. A quarter of those sentences were 2.5 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, the terms announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case, not a single article. ## Fewer Short Terms, More Long Ones 9 of 24 convictions (38%) included more than one year, compared with 25% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. 7 convictions (29%) included more than 1 year but under 5 years, compared with 17% elsewhere. Short sentences were less common. 25% of convictions included under 6 months, compared with 41% service-wide. 4 convictions (17%) included no confinement, compared with 11%. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement. A special court-martial is capped at one year. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | -------------------------------------------- | | No confinement | 4 | 17% | 11% | | Under 6 months | 6 | 25% | 41% | | 6 months to 1 year | 5 | 21% | 23% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 7 | 29% | 17% | | 5 years or more | 2 | 8% | 8% | ## Most Cases Were General Courts-Martial Of the 26 cases, 17 were general courts-martial (65%), compared with 43% in all Navy and Marine Corps cases. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. ## Pleas and Contested Cases A case counts as contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. At Groton, 20 accused pleaded guilty and 6 contested at least one charge. The contested share was 23%, compared with 30% for the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole. 2 of the 6 contested cases ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty on every charge. With so few contested cases, a single verdict changes that count by a large amount. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea and forum, so plea counts rely on the records that list them. ## Rank of the Accused The accused included 11 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 13 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 2 officers or warrant officers. That mix is more senior than the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps, where 54% of the accused were junior enlisted. ## Kaneohe Bay and Great Lakes Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay tried 24 cases in these years and Great Lakes, Illinois 29\. Kaneohe Bay had a median confinement of 1 year and an 83% punitive discharge share. Great Lakes had a median of 6 months, a 54% punitive discharge share, and a 29% contested share. 4 of its 8 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. Groton had the highest punitive discharge share of the three, at 91%. | Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | | ------------------------------------- | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- | | Groton, Connecticut | 26 | 23% | 2 of 6 | 10 months | 91% | | Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay | 24 | — | — | 1 year | 83% | | Great Lakes, Illinois | 29 | 29% | 4 of 8 | 6 months | 54% | ## Caseload and Gaps The cases are from February 2013 to July 2017: 9 in 2013, 7 in 2014, 5 in 2015, 3 in 2016, and 2 in 2017\. Together they are 2% of the 1,564 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in those years. Trial records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They omit the evidence, the plea terms, and conduct handled outside a court-martial. 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 Groton, Connecticut with a trial date in 2013–2017 (26 cases), compared with all 1,564 Navy and Marine Corps 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 - [Groton, Connecticut: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-groton-connecticut/) (hub) - [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial/) (hub) - [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub) - [Inside 11 Courts-Martial at Groton, Connecticut, 2019–2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/groton-connecticut-courts-martial-2019-2023/) (another period) - [Bremerton, Washington Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 52 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2024-2026/) - [Bremerton, Washington, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 221 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2013-2018/) - [Bremerton, Washington, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 153 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2019-2023/) - [Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 283 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-lejeune-north-carolina-courts-martial-2019-2023/) - [Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, 2017–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 140 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-lejeune-north-carolina-courts-martial-2017-2018/) - [Camp Pendleton, California, 2017–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 149 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-pendleton-california-courts-martial-2017-2018/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) Next: [Inside 11 Courts-Martial at Groton, Connecticut, 2019–2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/groton-connecticut-courts-martial-2019-2023/) → **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.