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Understanding Trends

Article 134 at Jacksonville, Florida Before and After 2024

Article 134 (general article) cases at Jacksonville, Florida in 2024–2026 had longer sentences than the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole. The median confinement was 3 years, compared with 1.5 years service-wide and 9 months at Jacksonville in 2021–2023.

Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read

Trends › By Installation › Jacksonville, Florida › Article 134

Short answer: Article 134 (general article) cases at Jacksonville, Florida in 2024–2026 had longer sentences than the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole. The median confinement was 3 years, compared with 1.5 years service-wide and 9 months at Jacksonville in 2021–2023. 73% of the cases were contested, and none of the 8 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal.

Based on 11 cases · 2024–2026 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Confinement Terms

10 of the 11 convictions included confinement. The median confinement was 3 years, longer than the 1.5 years in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 134 cases in 2024–2026. Among the sentences that included confinement, a quarter were 10 years or longer.

In 2021–2023, the median at Jacksonville was 9 months. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case.

Contested Cases and Verdicts

8 cases were contested and 3 were guilty pleas. The contested share was 73%, compared with 29% in Navy and Marine Corps Article 134 cases overall and 40% at Jacksonville in 2021–2023.

None of the 8 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (0 of 8). In 2021–2023, 2 of 4 did.

Discharges

7 of 11 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge: 3 bad-conduct discharges and 4 dishonorable discharges. The share across Navy and Marine Corps Article 134 cases in 2024–2026 was 75%. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

2021–20232024–2026
Cases1011
Contested (of pleas recorded)40%73%
Full acquittals (decided contested)2 of 40 of 8
Convictions with confinement8 of 891%
Median confinement9 months3 years
Punitive discharge (enlisted)6 of 864%
General courts-martial70%82%

Rank and Court Level

9 of the accused were NCOs and 2 were junior enlisted members. No officers were charged. That group is more senior than in Navy and Marine Corps Article 134 cases overall.

9 of the 11 cases (82%) were tried at a general court-martial, the level that can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. In 2021–2023, the share was 70%.

Other Charges

Article 134 was the only charge in 7 of the 11 cases. Each of these articles appeared in 1 case: Article 128b (domestic violence), Article 90 (disobeying an officer), Article 119b (child endangerment), Article 120b (child sexual abuse), and Article 131b (obstruction).

Law Changes After December 2023

Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. When every guilty finding in a case is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence under new sentencing parameters. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, so trials from 2024 on include cases under both sets of rules. The records cannot show whether either change affected these numbers.

Case Count and Limits

The 11 cases were tried from January 2024 to July 2026: 4 in 2024, 5 in 2025, and 2 in 2026, a partial year. They were 28% of the 40 courts-martial at Jacksonville, Florida in 2024–2026. The earlier period had 10 cases, about 3 a year, compared with about 4 a year since. Small groups change with a few cases.

The records do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 134 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 134 (found guilty, not guilty, or both): 2021–2023 (10) and 2024–2026 (11). Comparisons use every Navy and Marine Corps case charging Article 134 in 2024–2026.

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 Article 134 Cases at Jacksonville, Florida, 2024–2026

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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