What Was Tried at Jacksonville, Florida, 2019–2023? 77 Courts-Martial
Jacksonville, Florida tried 77 courts-martial from 2019 to 2023. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, 29% of decided contested cases ended in a full acquittal. At Jacksonville the rate was 52% (16 of 31).
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 7 min read
Trends › By Installation › Jacksonville, Florida › 2019–2023
Short answer: Jacksonville, Florida tried 77 courts-martial from 2019 to 2023. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, 29% of decided contested cases ended in a full acquittal. At Jacksonville the rate was 52% (16 of 31). 40% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 63% in the rest of the service.
16 of 31 Contested Cases Ended in Full Acquittal
A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge, through a not-guilty plea or a mixed plea. Of 31 contested cases with a verdict, 16 ended in a full acquittal (52%), and 2 more ended in a partial acquittal (6%), meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another.
The full-acquittal rate was higher than the 29% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Cases were also contested more often here. 76 records list a plea: 45 guilty pleas and 31 contested cases. The service-wide contested share was 31%; here it was 41%.
Few Sexual Assault Charges Ended in Conviction
Only 3 of the 14 cases charging Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) ended in a conviction on that article (21%). Only 1 of 14 ended in a guilty plea (7%). After a conviction on Article 120, the median confinement was 7.6 years.
Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) ended in a conviction in 7 of 10 cases (70%), and the median confinement was 4.3 years. Assault under Article 128 ended in a conviction in 21 of 33 cases (64%), and the median confinement was 3 months. All 10 cases charging Article 121 (larceny) ended in a conviction on that article, and 9 of 10 were guilty pleas (90%). Rows overlap. The records do not say why an accused pleaded guilty or contested the charges.
| 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 |
Assault Was the Most Common Charge
Every record lists charges, and one case can count under several articles. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 33 of the 77 cases (43%), compared with 31% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Article 120b was charged in 13%, compared with 7%.
Drug and orders charges were less common. Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) was charged in 13% of cases, compared with 25% across the service. Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) was charged in 12%, compared with 18%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, all Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% |
Fewer Punitive Discharges
For enlisted members, a punitive discharge means a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. Among 58 convicted enlisted members, 23 received one (40%), including 6 dishonorable discharges. In the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps, the share was 63%.
There were 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, and neither was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Shorter Median Confinement
Of 61 convictions, 51 included confinement. For all Navy and Marine Corps cases the median confinement was 6 months; here it was 4 months. 1 sentence here was life, and a quarter of the sentences were 1 year or longer.
Sentences under 6 months made up 44% of convictions, compared with 35% across the service. 12 of 61 convictions (20%) included more than one year of confinement, compared with 24%. 5 convictions (8%) included 5 years or more, compared with 5%. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps-wide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% |
Court Levels and Rank
General courts-martial handled 36 of the 77 cases (47%), compared with 44% across the Navy and Marine Corps. The median confinement at that level was 1.5 years, and 92% of convictions included confinement. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. The median confinement in the 41 special courts-martial was 3 months, and 78% of convictions there included confinement.
By rank, 37 of the accused were NCOs, 35 were junior enlisted members, and 4 were officers. That is a more senior group than across the Navy and Marine Corps.
Compared With Kaneohe Bay and Quantico
Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay tried 78 cases in these years and Quantico, Virginia 70. Neither recorded a full acquittal in decided contested cases: 0 of 11 at Kaneohe Bay and 0 of 13 at Quantico. Their contested shares were 26% and 34%.
The median confinement was 11 months at Kaneohe Bay and 6 months at Quantico. Punitive discharges were part of 68% and 60% of enlisted convictions.
| 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% |
Changes From 2013–2018
Jacksonville had 78 cases in 2013–2018, about 13 a year. Since then it has had about 15 a year, counting full years. The yearly counts in this period were 11 in 2019, 15 in 2020, 16 in 2021, 23 in 2022, and 12 in 2023, or 4% of the 1,991 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial.
In 2013–2018, 4 of 16 decided contested cases ended in a full acquittal; in 2019–2023, 16 of 31 did. The earlier median confinement was 6 months, and the later median was 4 months. Punitive discharges went from 66% to 40%. The contested share went from 21% to 41%, though older Navy and Marine Corps records often omit the plea. In small groups a few cases can change a percentage, and the records cannot show why these numbers changed.
| 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% |
What the Records Do Not Show
Only cases that reached a courtroom appear here. Matters resolved by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action do not appear. The records do not describe the evidence or any plea terms.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial in the data tried at Jacksonville, Florida with a trial date in 2019–2023 (77 cases), compared with all 1,991 Navy and Marine Corps trials in those years. Dates are trial dates.
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)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Jacksonville, Florida, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 78 Cases (another period)
- What Was Tried at Jacksonville, Florida, 2024–2026? 40 Courts-Martial (another period)
- What Was Tried at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, 2019–2023? 78 Courts-Martial (same years, similar size)
- Quantico, Virginia Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 70 Cases Show (same years, similar size)
- Article 128 at Jacksonville, Florida Before and After 2019
- Sexual Assault Cases at Jacksonville, Florida: 2013–2018 vs. 2020–2022
- 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.