JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look
JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii had 34 Air Force courts-martial in 2019–2023, compared with 24 in 2016–2018. Drug charges under Article 112a were in 62% of the later cases that list charges, compared with 41% across the Air Force.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii › Before and after 2019
Short answer: JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii had 34 Air Force courts-martial in 2019–2023, compared with 24 in 2016–2018. Drug charges under Article 112a were in 62% of the later cases that list charges, compared with 41% across the Air Force. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 45% in the earlier period to 64%.
Drug Charges Were More Common Than Across the Air Force
Of the 26 Air Force cases at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam in 2019–2023 whose records list charges, 16 charged Article 112a, the article covering wrongful use and possession of controlled substances. That is 62%, compared with 41% in the rest of the Air Force.
Several other articles were also charged more often than across the Air Force. Article 134 (the general article) was charged in 27% of cases, compared with 21%. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) was charged in 23%, compared with 16%. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 23%, compared with 19%. Article 113 (drunken or reckless driving since 2019, misbehavior of a sentinel before that) and Article 128b (domestic violence) were each charged in 12%, compared with 4% and 5%. A single case can fall under several articles.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the rest of the Air Force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 16 | 62% | 41% |
| Art. 134 General article | 7 | 27% | 21% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 6 | 23% | 16% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 6 | 23% | 19% |
| Art. 113 Misbehavior of a sentinel before 2019, drunken or reckless driving since | 3 | 12% | 4% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 3 | 12% | 5% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 2 | 8% | 5% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 2 | 8% | 6% |
How the Two Periods Compare
This page sets 2016–2018 beside 2019–2023. The earlier period had 24 cases, about 8 a year. The later period had about 7 a year, counting full years only. The median adjudged confinement went from 3 months to 4 months, and the share of convictions with any confinement went from 77% to 85%.
Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 45% to 64%. General courts-martial went from 38% of cases to 47%. In small groups a few cases can change a percentage, so these changes show direction, not precision.
| 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 24 | 34 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 39% |
| Convictions with confinement | 77% | 85% |
| Median confinement | 3 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 45% | 64% |
| General courts-martial | 38% | 47% |
The Later Cases Year by Year
From March 2019 to December 2023, the data holds 34 cases: 4 in 2019, 11 in 2020, 8 in 2021, 4 in 2022, and 7 in 2023.
Fewer Contested Cases and Fewer Full Acquittals
Of the 28 records that list a plea, 17 were guilty pleas and 11 were contested, meaning the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. That is 39% contested, compared with 50% across the Air Force.
Of the 11 decided contested cases, 45% ended in a full acquittal, lower than the 51% across the Air Force. Another 2 were partial acquittals, not guilty of at least one charge but guilty of another. Air Force results give one verdict per case, so a partial acquittal appears only when an appeals opinion reports it.
Members heard 7 of the 11 contested cases (64%). Across all cases with the forum listed, members heard 29%: 4 enlisted panels and 6 officer panels. A military judge alone decided the other 24.
Sentences After Conviction
26 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 22 of those sentences included confinement (85%). The median confinement was 4 months, the same as in all Air Force cases in those years. A quarter of the sentences were 10 months or longer.
Sentences longer than one year were less common here: 4 of 26 convictions (15%), compared with 23% across the Air Force. These are adjudged sentences, before clemency or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Air Force as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 4 | 15% | 12% |
| Under 6 months | 14 | 54% | 50% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 4 | 15% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 3 | 12% | 17% |
| 5 years or more | 1 | 4% | 6% |
General Versus Special Courts-Martial
At the 16 general courts-martial, 7 of 9 convictions included confinement, and the median was 1.2 years. At the 18 special courts-martial, 88% 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.
General courts-martial were 47% of cases here, lower than the 53% in the rest of the Air Force.
Discharges and Who Was Charged
16 of 25 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge: 13 bad-conduct and 3 dishonorable. In the rest of the Air Force the share was 56%. 1 officer or warrant officer was convicted, and none was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
By rank, the accused were 21 junior enlisted members, 12 NCOs, and 1 officer. This mix was similar to the Air Force as a whole.
Compared With Similar Installations
Dyess AFB, Texas (36 cases) and Ramstein AB, Germany (38 cases) tried a similar number of Air Force cases in these years. Pearl Harbor-Hickam had the lowest contested share of the 3: 39%, compared with 43% at Dyess and 61% at Ramstein. Its punitive discharge share, 64%, was higher than at Dyess (42%) or Ramstein (43%). Its median confinement, 4 months, was between Dyess at 3 months and Ramstein at 5 months.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii | 34 | 39% | 5 of 11 | 4 months | 64% |
| Dyess AFB, Texas | 36 | 43% | 6 of 10 | 3 months | 42% |
| Ramstein AB, Germany | 38 | 61% | 9 of 19 | 5 months | 43% |
Limits of These Figures
Only cases that reached a courtroom are counted. Air Force records never report plea agreements, rarely list charges in full acquittals, and from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea, so the earlier period has no contested share. Nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations are not in the data.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii in 2016–2018 (24) and 2019–2023 (34).
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 Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 34 Cases
- JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 24 Cases Show
- JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 15 Cases
- Did Drug Cases at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii Change After 2020?
- 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 Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, 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.