A Year of Courts-Martial at Jacksonville, Florida: 2015
Jacksonville, Florida tried 16 courts-martial in 2015. 75% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 58% across the Navy and Marine Corps. The median confinement was 8 months, compared with 5 months across the Navy and Marine Corps.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Installation › Jacksonville, Florida › 2015
Short answer: Jacksonville, Florida tried 16 courts-martial in 2015. 75% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 58% across the Navy and Marine Corps. The median confinement was 8 months, compared with 5 months across the Navy and Marine Corps.
Punitive Discharges in 12 of 16 Enlisted Convictions
A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct discharge or a dishonorable discharge for enlisted members. Of 16 convicted enlisted members, 12 received one: 7 bad-conduct discharges and 5 dishonorable discharges. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, the share was 58%.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Confinement Terms
All 16 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 13 sentences included confinement (81%). The median confinement was 8 months, compared with 5 months across the Navy and Marine Corps. Among sentences that included confinement, a quarter were 2.7 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.
AWOL, Housebreaking, and Malingering Charges
All 16 records list the charges, and one case can be counted under several articles. Article 86 (AWOL) appeared in 25% of cases, compared with 7% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Article 130 (housebreaking) and Article 115 (malingering) each appeared in 12%, compared with 2%.
Article 128 (assault) appeared in 38%, the same share as across the Navy and Marine Corps. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 31%, compared with 27%. Article 112a (drug offenses) appeared in 25%, compared with 16%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 6 | 38% | 38% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 5 | 31% | 27% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 4 | 25% | 7% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 4 | 25% | 16% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 19% | 15% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 2 | 12% | 13% |
| Art. 130 Housebreaking | 2 | 12% | 2% |
| Art. 115 Malingering | 2 | 12% | 2% |
Guilty Pleas in 13 Cases
A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. In 2015, 13 accused pleaded guilty and 3 contested, a contested share of 19%. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, the share was 29%. None of the 3 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal.
Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea, so plea counts use only the records that list it.
Changes From 2014
Jacksonville had 22 cases in 2014 and 16 in 2015. The median confinement went from 1 year to 8 months. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 63% to 75%. The contested share went from 36% to 19%, and the general court-martial share went from 59% to 44%. In groups this small, a few cases can move each figure.
| 2014 | 2015 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 22 | 16 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 36% | 19% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 3 of 8 | 0 of 3 |
| Convictions with confinement | 84% | 81% |
| Median confinement | 1 year | 8 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 63% | 75% |
| General courts-martial | 59% | 44% |
Rank and Court Level
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) and NCOs each made up 50% of the accused, with no officers. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, 47% of the accused were junior enlisted.
There were 7 general courts-martial and 9 special courts-martial. The general share of 44% compares with 39% across the Navy and Marine Corps. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Bremerton and Norfolk
Bremerton, Washington (45 cases) and Norfolk, Virginia (57 cases) are the comparison installations for 2015. Both had a lower median confinement, at 4 months and 5 months, and lower punitive discharge shares for enlisted members, at 54% and 50%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict were 2 of 5 at Bremerton and 11 of 18 at Norfolk.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville, Florida | 16 | 19% | 0 of 3 | 8 months | 75% |
| Bremerton, Washington | 45 | 12% | 2 of 5 | 4 months | 54% |
| Norfolk, Virginia | 57 | 32% | 11 of 18 | 5 months | 50% |
Rules and Record Limits
These trials came before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019, so its later rules on panel sizes, judge-alone special courts-martial, and written plea agreements did not apply. The records cover only cases that reached a courtroom and do not describe the evidence or the plea terms.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Jacksonville, Florida with a trial date in 2015 (16 cases).
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 Year (hub)
- What Jacksonville, Florida Tried in 2014 (previous / next)
- Jacksonville, Florida in 2023: 12 Courts-Martial, Year in Review (previous / next)
- Jacksonville, Florida, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 78 Cases (the whole period)
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2015
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2017
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2018
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2020
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
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.