Article 128 at Jacksonville, Florida Before and After 2019
Jacksonville, Florida had 33 assault cases (Article 128) in 2019–2023. 12 of 16 decided contested cases ended in a full acquittal (75%), compared with 49% across the Navy and Marine Corps.
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Trends › By Installation › Jacksonville, Florida › Article 128
Short answer: Jacksonville, Florida had 33 assault cases (Article 128) in 2019–2023. 12 of 16 decided contested cases ended in a full acquittal (75%), compared with 49% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Only 21% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 75% in 2013–2018 and 61% in the rest of the service.
Shorter Confinement and Fewer Discharges Than in 2013–2018
Compared with 2013–2018, almost every measure changed. The median confinement went from 1.1 years to 3 months. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 75% to 21%. The contested share went from 33% to 50%, and full acquittals in decided contested cases went from 4 of 8 to 12 of 16.
The number of cases went from 24, about 6 a year, to about 7 a year since, counting full years only. The share of general courts-martial went from 67% to 58%. In groups this small, a few cases can change a percentage by a large amount. These changes show direction, not precise measures, and the records cannot show why any of them changed.
| 2013–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 24 | 33 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 33% | 50% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 4 of 8 | 12 of 16 |
| Convictions with confinement | 90% | 86% |
| Median confinement | 1.1 years | 3 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 75% | 21% |
| General courts-martial | 67% | 58% |
Full Acquittals Were More Common Than Across the Service
Of 16 contested cases that reached a verdict, 12 ended in a full acquittal (75%) and 1 in a partial acquittal (6%), meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another.
The full-acquittal rate was 75%. That is higher than the 49% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. In 2013–2018, the count was 4 of 8.
Half the Cases Were Contested
A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of 32 records listing the plea, 16 were guilty pleas and 16 were contested. The contested share was 50%, compared with 40% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps.
The contested share was 63% at general courts-martial and 31% at special courts-martial.
Sentences After an Assault Conviction
Confinement was part of 86% of the 21 convictions. The median confinement was 3 months, compared with 6 months in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases. A quarter of the sentences were 1.2 years or longer.
Sentences under 6 months made up 52% of convictions, compared with 35% elsewhere. 4 of 21 convictions (19%) included more than one year of confinement, compared with 24% in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases. The median confinement was 1.2 years in the 19 general courts-martial. It was 3 months in the 14 special courts-martial, which are capped at one year. All are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases in 2019–2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 3 | 14% | 14% |
| Under 6 months | 11 | 52% | 35% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 3 | 14% | 27% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 3 | 14% | 19% |
| 5 years or more | 1 | 5% | 5% |
Few Punitive Discharges
A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for enlisted members. Only 4 of 19 convicted enlisted members received one, all bad-conduct discharges. In the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps, the share was 61%. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not dismissed.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not track.
Assault and Sexual Assault in the Same Case
Article 128 was the only charge in 13 of 33 cases. Sexual assault (Article 120) was charged in 13 cases. Other charges were orders violations under Article 92 (4), disobeying an officer under Article 90 (3), drug offenses under Article 112a (2), and larceny under Article 121 (2).
When assault is charged with sexual assault, the assault charge can describe part of the same incident. The sentence covers the whole case.
Case Counts and Who Was Charged
The 33 cases were tried from March 2019 through December 2023: 2019: 5, 2020: 9, 2021: 10, 2022: 8, and 2023: 1. They make up 43% of all courts-martial at Jacksonville, Florida in those years (77 cases).
The accused included 13 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 17 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 2 officers or warrant officers. This group was more senior than all Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases, where 63% were junior enlisted. General courts-martial made up 58% of cases, compared with 52% across the service for this article.
The Special Trial Counsel Rules
Article 128 assault is not itself a covered offense under the special trial counsel system. Special trial counsel who take a covered offense can, however, also take related charges, such as an assault tied to a domestic violence allegation.
Gaps in the Record
The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or plea terms, and they leave out cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea and forum.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 128 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Courts-martial tried at Jacksonville, Florida that charged Article 128 (found guilty, not guilty, or both): 2013–2018 (24) and 2019–2023 (33). Comparisons use every Navy and Marine Corps case charging Article 128 in 2019–2023.
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.
Related Analysis
- Jacksonville, Florida: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Article 128 (Assault): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Jacksonville, Florida, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 78 Cases (the whole docket)
- What Was Tried at Jacksonville, Florida, 2019–2023? 77 Courts-Martial (the whole docket)
- What Was Tried at Jacksonville, Florida, 2024–2026? 40 Courts-Martial (the whole docket)
- Article 128 at Camp Pendleton, California Before and After 2019 (same offense, another installation)
- Did Assault Cases at Norfolk, Virginia Change After 2019? (same offense, another installation)
- Navy-Marine Corps Article 128 Cases by the Numbers, 2017–2025
- Article 128 explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Article 128 Cases at Jacksonville, Florida, 2019–2023
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.
Compare: federal court. Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Article 128 Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
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.