Joint Base Lewis-McChord, 2020–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look

Trends › By Installation › Joint Base Lewis-McChord › Before and after 2024

Based on 75 cases · 2024–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Longer Confinement Since 2024

Of 65 convictions, 59 included confinement (91%). The median confinement was 11 months, compared with 6 months across the Army and 6 months at the same installation in 2020–2023. A quarter of the sentences were 1.7 years or more, and 1 sentence was confinement for life.

11 convictions (17%) included 5 years or more, compared with 9% across the Army. 22 of 65 (34%) included more than one year, compared with 30%. Only 6 convictions (9%) included no confinement, compared with 15%. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each reflects every charge in the case.

Sexual Assault Had the Lowest Conviction Rate

Charge lists cover 72 of the 75 cases. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) was charged in 22% of them, higher than the Army's 11%. Article 120c (other sexual misconduct) was charged in 8%, compared with 3%.

Article 120 had the lowest conviction rate among the most common charges. 9 of 16 cases (56%) ended in a conviction on that article, and the median confinement after that conviction was 2.1 years. Article 128 (assault) ended in a conviction in 8 of 12 cases (67%), with a median of 6 months. Article 134, the general article, ended in a conviction in 16 of 17, with a median of 1 year. Article 128b (domestic violence) ended in a conviction in 18 of 20, with a median of 4 months. Rows overlap because one case can include a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another.

The Rest of the Charge List

Article 128b was the most common charge, in 28% of cases, compared with 25% across the Army. Article 134 was next, in 24%, compared with 21%. Article 128 was charged less often than elsewhere: 17% compared with 20%. Each article is counted once per case, so a case with several charges appears in several rows.

2020–2023 Compared With 2024–2026

The 2020–2023 period had 139 cases over 4 years, about 35 a year. Since 2024 there have been about 30 a year, counting full years only. The contested share, meaning cases where the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge, went from 30% to 23%.

Full acquittals in decided contested cases went from 17 of 41 to 7 of 17. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 74% to 77%. General courts-martial went from 72% of cases to 67%. A few cases can change percentages like these, so they show direction, not exact rates.

Pleas, Verdicts, and Forum

58 accused pleaded guilty and 17 contested at least one charge. The contested share was 23%, about the same as the 21% elsewhere in the Army. Plea agreements are recorded in 55 of the 58 guilty pleas, and 3 have no entry. Army records show whether an agreement existed, not its terms. Cases charging Article 128b ended in a guilty plea 90% of the time (18 of 20), while cases charging Article 128 did so 42% of the time (5 of 12). The records do not say why.

Of the 17 decided contested cases, 7 ended in a full acquittal (41%), about the same as the 40% across the Army. 8 ended in a partial acquittal, meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another. The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A military judge alone heard 65 cases and enlisted panels heard 6. There were 0 officer panels. Among contested cases, members heard 6 of 13 (46%).

Discharges and Dismissals

46 of 60 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge: 35 bad-conduct and 11 dishonorable. That share, 77%, compares with 73% across the Army. 5 officers or warrant officers were convicted, and 2 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Court Level and Rank

A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge; a special court-martial is capped at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. The records list 49 general and 24 special courts-martial, with 2 not listed. At the general level, 93% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 1.2 years. At the special level, 86% included confinement, and the median was 3 months.

The accused included 42 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 28 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 5 officers or warrant officers. This mix was similar to the Army, where 53% were junior enlisted.

Compared With Fort Bliss and Fort Bragg

Fort Bliss (84 cases) and Fort Bragg (85 cases) tried a similar number in these years. Lewis-McChord had the longest median confinement of the 3: 11 months, compared with 6 months and 8 months. It had the highest punitive discharge share: 77%, compared with 71% and 74%. Its contested share, 23%, was between Fort Bliss's 12% and Fort Bragg's 25%.

Rule Changes and Record Gaps

The data holds 32 cases in 2024, 28 in 2025, and 15 in 2026 through September, a partial year. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. New sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The records give no offense dates, so they cannot show which cases fell under the new rules or whether the rules affected outcomes.

The records also do not show nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, the evidence, or plea terms.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.

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.