Jacksonville, Florida, 2013–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look
At Jacksonville, Florida, 16 of 31 decided contested courts-martial in 2019–2023 ended in a full acquittal (52%), compared with 29% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Compared with 2013–2018, the contested share went from 21% to 41%.
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Trends › By Installation › Jacksonville, Florida › Before and after 2019
Short answer: At Jacksonville, Florida, 16 of 31 decided contested courts-martial in 2019–2023 ended in a full acquittal (52%), compared with 29% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Compared with 2013–2018, the contested share went from 21% to 41%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 66% to 40%.
A Higher Full-Acquittal Rate Than Across the Service
Of 31 decided contested cases at Jacksonville, Florida in 2019–2023, 16 ended in a full acquittal (52%). Across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years, the rate was 29%.
A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Only 2 more contested cases ended in a partial acquittal, meaning not guilty of one charge and guilty of another. Most contested cases here ended in either a full acquittal or a conviction on every charge contested.
2013–2018 Compared With 2019–2023
This post compares 2013–2018 with 2019–2023 at Jacksonville; the detailed figures describe the 77 later cases. The earlier period had 78 cases, about 13 a year, against about 15 a year since, counting full years only.
Several measures changed. The contested share went from 21% to 41%. Full acquittals in decided contested cases went from 4 of 16 to 16 of 31. The median confinement went from 6 months to 4 months. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 66% to 40%. The records show these changes but not their causes. In groups this size a few cases can change a percentage, so the changes show direction, not precision.
| 2013–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 78 | 77 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 21% | 41% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 4 of 16 | 16 of 31 |
| Convictions with confinement | 88% | 84% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 66% | 40% |
| General courts-martial | 42% | 47% |
More Cases Were Contested
Of the 76 cases with a plea listed, 31 were contested and 45 were guilty pleas. The contested share was 41%, compared with 31% across the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps.
Guilty pleas varied widely by charge. Cases charging Article 121 (larceny) ended in a guilty plea 90% of the time (9 of 10), while cases charging Article 120 (sexual assault) did so 7% of the time (1 of 14). The records do not say why an accused pleaded guilty or contested the charges.
Assault and Child Sexual Abuse Were Charged More Often
Article 128 (assault) was charged in 43% of cases here, compared with 31% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Article 120b (child sexual abuse) was charged in 13%, compared with 7%. Drug charges under Article 112a were less common: 13% compared with 25%. Article 92 (orders violation) was also less common: 12% compared with 18%. One case can appear under several articles.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 33 | 43% | 31% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 14 | 18% | 14% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 10 | 13% | 9% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 10 | 13% | 7% |
| Art. 134 General article | 10 | 13% | 18% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 10 | 13% | 9% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 10 | 13% | 25% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 9 | 12% | 18% |
How Each Charge Ended
Article 121 ended in a conviction on that article in 10 of 10 cases. Article 120 ended in a conviction on that article in only 3 of 14 cases. The median confinement in those 3 cases was 7.6 years. Article 120b ended in a conviction in 7 of 10 cases, and Article 128 in 21 of 33.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 33 | 21 (64%) | 3 months |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 14 | 3 (21%) | 7.6 years |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 10 | 10 (100%) | 3 months |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 10 | 7 (70%) | 4.3 years |
Shorter Sentences and Fewer Punitive Discharges
Confinement was part of 84% of the 61 convictions. The median confinement was 4 months, compared with 6 months across the Navy and Marine Corps. A quarter of the sentences were 1 year or longer, and 1 was a life sentence. 12 of 61 convictions (20%) included more than one year of confinement, compared with 24%. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
A punitive discharge was part of 40% of enlisted convictions (17 bad-conduct, 6 dishonorable), compared with 63% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Of 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, 0 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 10 | 16% | 17% |
| Under 6 months | 27 | 44% | 35% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 12 | 20% | 24% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 7 | 11% | 19% |
| 5 years or more | 5 | 8% | 5% |
By Court Level and Rank
At the 36 general courts-martial, 92% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 1.5 years. At the 41 special courts-martial, 78% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 3 months. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
The accused were 35 junior enlisted members, 37 NCOs, and 4 officers. This group was more senior than across the Navy and Marine Corps. General courts-martial were 47% of cases, compared with 44% in all Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years.
Compared With Similar Installations
Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay and Quantico, Virginia tried a similar number of cases. Neither recorded a full acquittal in its decided contested cases (0 of 11 and 0 of 13), Both had higher punitive discharge rates: 68% and 60%.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville, Florida | 77 | 41% | 16 of 31 | 4 months | 40% |
| Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay | 78 | 26% | 0 of 11 | 11 months | 68% |
| Quantico, Virginia | 70 | 34% | 0 of 13 | 6 months | 60% |
What the Records Do Not Show
The records do not describe the evidence, the plea terms, or offense dates, and they leave out cases resolved by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Jacksonville, Florida in 2013–2018 (78) and 2019–2023 (77).
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)
- By Installation (hub)
- Jacksonville, Florida, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 78 Cases
- What Was Tried at Jacksonville, Florida, 2019–2023? 77 Courts-Martial
- What Was Tried at Jacksonville, Florida, 2024–2026? 40 Courts-Martial
- Jacksonville, Florida, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- Bremerton, Washington Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Bremerton, Washington Before and After 2024: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Great Lakes, Illinois Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over 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.
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.