JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
The median confinement at JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey was 3 months in 2024–2026, down from 6 months in 2019–2023 and lower than the 6 months across the Air Force. Article 134 (general article) was charged in 42% of cases with charges listed, compared with 24% Air Force-wide.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey › Before and after 2024
Short answer: The median confinement at JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey was 3 months in 2024–2026, down from 6 months in 2019–2023 and lower than the 6 months across the Air Force. Article 134 (general article) was charged in 42% of cases with charges listed, compared with 24% Air Force-wide. The contested share went from 42% to 29%.
A Median of 3 Months
Of the 14 cases tried at the base from 2024 to 2026, 13 ended in a conviction on at least one charge. Confinement was part of 12 of those sentences (92%), close to the 93% in 2019–2023.
The median confinement was 3 months. It was 6 months at the base in 2019–2023 and 6 months across the Air Force in 2024–2026. A quarter of the terms with confinement were 1 year or longer.
All figures are adjudged sentences, the sentence announced at trial. A plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal can reduce them later. Each sentence covers every charge in its case.
| 2019–2023 | 2024–2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 39 | 14 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 42% | 29% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 11 of 15 | 1 of 4 |
| Convictions with confinement | 93% | 92% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 3 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 50% | 50% |
| General courts-martial | 54% | 64% |
Larceny and the General Article
Charges appear in 12 of the 14 records. Article 134, the general article, was charged in 5 (42%), compared with 24% Air Force-wide. Article 121 (larceny) appeared in 4 (33%), compared with 8%.
Article 107 (false official statements) and Article 112a (drugs) each appeared in 2 cases (17%). The false statement share compares with 6% Air Force-wide, and the drug share with 20%.
Article 121b (false pretenses to obtain services), Article 113 (drunken or reckless operation of a vehicle), Article 87a (resistance, flight, breach of arrest), and Article 129 (burglary; unlawful entry) each appeared in 1 case (8%). A case with several articles counts under each.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, Air Force-wide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 5 | 42% | 24% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 4 | 33% | 8% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 2 | 17% | 6% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 2 | 17% | 20% |
| Art. 121b False pretenses to obtain services | 1 | 8% | 0% |
| Art. 113 Drunken or reckless operation of vehicle | 1 | 8% | 5% |
| Art. 87a Resistance, flight, breach of arrest | 1 | 8% | 1% |
| Art. 129 Burglary; unlawful entry | 1 | 8% | 1% |
Fewer Contested Cases
There were 10 guilty pleas and 4 not-guilty or mixed pleas. The contested share was 29%, compared with 42% at the base in 2019–2023 and 43% across the Air Force.
Among contested cases that reached a verdict, 1 of 4 ended in a full acquittal. In 2019–2023 the count was 11 of 15. A full acquittal means not guilty of every charge.
Punitive Discharges Unchanged at 50%
Of 12 convicted enlisted members, 6 received a punitive discharge: 3 bad-conduct discharges and 3 dishonorable discharges. The share was 50% in both periods. Across the Air Force in 2024–2026, it was 62%.
1 convicted officer or warrant officer appears in the records and was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Who Decided Guilt
A military judge alone decided guilt in 12 of 14 cases (86%). Members heard 2, both enlisted panels, and there were 0 officer panels. The accused usually chooses between a judge alone and members.
Rank and Court Level
The accused were 9 junior enlisted members, 4 NCOs, and 1 officer. The group was more junior than the Air Force as a whole.
General courts-martial heard 9 of the 14 cases (64%), compared with 54% at the base in 2019–2023 and 56% across the Air Force. A general court-martial can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Yearly Counts and Similar Bases
The records show 5 cases in 2024, 7 in 2025, and 2 in 2026 through June, a partial year. The base had 39 cases in 2019–2023. Counting full years only, that is about 8 a year earlier and about 6 a year since. With 14 cases, a few cases can change a percentage by a large amount.
Ramstein AB, Germany (20 cases) and McConnell AFB, Kansas (21 cases) had similar counts. McConnell had the same 3 months median confinement and a 21% contested share. Ramstein had a 9 months median and a 59% contested share. Punitive discharges went to 65% of convicted enlisted members at Ramstein and 44% at McConnell.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey | 14 | 29% | 1 of 4 | 3 months | 50% |
| Ramstein AB, Germany | 20 | 59% | 3 of 10 | 9 months | 65% |
| McConnell AFB, Kansas | 21 | 21% | 1 of 3 | 3 months | 44% |
The Late-2023 Rule Changes
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses, including sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. Commanders made those decisions before. When every guilty finding in a case is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters.
These records list trial dates, not offense dates. They cannot show which cases fell under the new rules.
Outside These Records
The evidence, the plea terms, and cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation are not in the records. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals and never report plea agreements.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey in 2019–2023 (39) and 2024–2026 (14).
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
- JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Inside 39 Courts-Martial at JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, 2019–2023
- Inside 14 Courts-Martial at JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, 2024–2026
- JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 13 Cases Show
- JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look
- Andersen AFB, Guam Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, 2024–2026
- Ryan Daniel Brunson
- Vicki L. Marcus
- Ashleigh T. Nguyen
- Dayle P. Percle
- Joshua D. Rosen
- Lauren MD Torczynski
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.