Jacksonville, Florida in 2023: 12 Courts-Martial, Year in Review
The records list 12 courts-martial at Jacksonville, Florida in 2023, down from 23 in 2022. Article 121 (larceny) was charged in 42% of the cases, compared with 10% across the Navy and Marine Corps.
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Trends › By Installation › Jacksonville, Florida › 2023
Short answer: The records list 12 courts-martial at Jacksonville, Florida in 2023, down from 23 in 2022. Article 121 (larceny) was charged in 42% of the cases, compared with 10% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Of 11 convicted enlisted members, 5 received a punitive discharge (45%), compared with 63% service-wide.
Larceny Was Charged More Often Than Across the Service
All 12 records list the charges. Larceny under Article 121 appeared in 5 cases (42%), compared with 10% of all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2023. Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) and Article 128b (domestic violence) each appeared in 3 cases (25%). Their service-wide shares were 18% and 10%.
Article 134, the general article, appeared in 2 cases (17%). Assault under Article 128 appeared in 1 case (8%), lower than the 26% across the service. Article 121b (false pretenses to obtain services), Article 131b (obstructing justice), and Article 119b (child endangerment) each appeared in 1 case. A case with several articles counts under each one.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the whole Navy and Marine Corps docket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 121 Larceny | 5 | 42% | 10% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 25% | 18% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 3 | 25% | 10% |
| Art. 134 General article | 2 | 17% | 22% |
| Art. 121b False pretenses to obtain services | 1 | 8% | 0% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 1 | 8% | 26% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 1 | 8% | 5% |
| Art. 119b Child endangerment | 1 | 8% | 1% |
Confinement and One Life Sentence
Confinement was part of 83% of the 12 convictions. The median confinement was 7 months, compared with 6 months in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 2 years or longer, and 1 was a life sentence.
These are adjudged sentences, as announced at trial for every charge in the case. A plea-agreement cap, clemency, or an appeal can reduce them afterward.
Punitive Discharges for Enlisted Members
Of 11 convicted enlisted members, 5 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (45%). Across the Navy and Marine Corps, the share was 63%. Of those 5 discharges, 1 was dishonorable.
The year also includes 1 convicted officer or warrant officer, who was not dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Pleas and Verdicts
Of the 12 cases, 8 ended in a guilty plea and 4 were contested. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 33%, about the same as the 32% across the Navy and Marine Corps. None of the 4 contested cases ended in a full acquittal.
Compared With 2022
In 2022 the records list 23 cases at Jacksonville. The contested share went from 35% to 33%, and full acquittals in contested cases went from 3 of 8 to 0 of 4. Median confinement went from 5 months to 7 months, and convictions with confinement went from 90% to 83%.
General courts-martial went from 39% of cases to 33%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members were 45% in both years. With groups this small, a few cases can move any of these figures.
| 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 23 | 12 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 35% | 33% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 3 of 8 | 0 of 4 |
| Convictions with confinement | 90% | 83% |
| Median confinement | 5 months | 7 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 45% | 45% |
| General courts-martial | 39% | 33% |
Rank and Court Level
Among the accused, 7 were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 4 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 1 was an officer or warrant officer. This group is more senior than the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole, where 65% of the accused were junior enlisted.
General courts-martial made up 4 of the 12 cases (33%), and special courts-martial heard the rest. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year.
Bremerton and Norfolk in the Same Year
Bremerton, Washington tried 24 cases and Norfolk, Virginia tried 29. The contested share at Jacksonville, 33%, was lower than at Bremerton (35%) and Norfolk (48%). Median confinement was 7 months at Jacksonville, 6 months at Norfolk, and 31 days at Bremerton.
Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members were 45% at Jacksonville, 33% at Bremerton, and 52% at Norfolk.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville, Florida | 12 | 33% | 0 of 4 | 7 months | 45% |
| Bremerton, Washington | 24 | 35% | 1 of 8 | 31 days | 33% |
| Norfolk, Virginia | 29 | 48% | 5 of 14 | 6 months | 52% |
What the Records Do Not Show
The records cover only cases that reached a court-martial. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, and cases with no action are not included. The records 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 2023 (12 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)
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Jacksonville, Florida: 2015 (previous / next)
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Jacksonville, Florida: 2024 (previous / next)
- What Was Tried at Jacksonville, Florida, 2019–2023? 77 Courts-Martial (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)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Jacksonville, Florida, 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.