Joint Base Lewis-McChord, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 75 Cases

Trends › By Installation › Joint Base Lewis-McChord › 2024–2026

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

Longer Sentences Than Before

Confinement was part of 91% of the 65 convictions. Here the median confinement was 11 months; across the Army it was 6 months. A quarter of the sentences here were 1.7 years or longer, and 1 sentence was life.

The biggest difference was in the longest sentences. Sentences of 5 years or more made up 17% of convictions (9% across the Army). Sentences from 1 year to under 5 years made up 28% (25%). Only 9% of convictions had no confinement (15%). These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case.

What Changed Since 2020–2023

In 2020–2023, the base tried 139 cases, about 35 a year. Since then it has tried about 30 a year, counting full years only. The median confinement went from 6 months to 11 months. Other measures changed less. Convictions with confinement went from 90% to 91%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 74% to 77%.

The contested share went from 30% to 23%. General courts-martial went from 72% to 67% of cases. Full acquittals in decided contested cases went from 17 of 41 to 7 of 17. These years follow the December 28, 2023 change that gave special trial counsel the decision to prosecute covered offenses, including sexual assault. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, and cannot show whether that change affected these numbers.

Sexual Offenses Were Charged More Often

Of the 75 cases, 72 have charges listed, and each article counts once per case. Article 128b (domestic violence) was the most common, in 20 cases (28%, compared with 25% across the Army). Article 134 (general article) was next, in 17 (24%, compared with 21%).

Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) was charged in 16 cases, 22% compared with 11% across the Army. Article 120c (other sexual misconduct, such as indecent recording and exposure) was charged in 6, 8% compared with 3%. Article 128 (assault) was less common here: 17% compared with 20%.

Convictions and Pleas by Charge

Article 134 cases most often ended in a conviction on that article: 16 of 17, with a median confinement of 1 year. Domestic violence cases ended in a conviction in 18 of 20, with a median of 4 months. They were the most likely to end in a guilty plea, 90% of the time.

Sexual assault cases were the least likely to end in a conviction on that article: 9 of 16. After a conviction, they had the longest median confinement, 2.1 years. Assault cases ended in a conviction on that article in 8 of 12, with a median of 6 months, and in a guilty plea 42% of the time (5 of 12). One case can include a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another.

Contested Cases and Their Results

Of the 75 accused, 58 pleaded guilty and 17 contested at least one charge. The contested share was 23% here and 21% across the Army. Plea agreements are recorded for 55 of the 58 guilty pleas, and 3 have no entry. Army records say whether an agreement existed, not what it said.

Of 17 contested cases with a verdict, 7 ended in a full acquittal and 8 in a partial acquittal (47%), meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another. Army results list findings charge by charge, so partial acquittals are common.

Compared With Fort Bliss and Fort Bragg

Fort Bliss (84 cases) and Fort Bragg (85) tried a similar number of Army cases in these years. Joint Base Lewis-McChord had the longest median confinement of the 3: 11 months. Fort Bliss had 6 months and Fort Bragg had 8 months.

Its punitive discharge rate, 77%, was higher than the 71% at Fort Bliss and the 74% at Fort Bragg. Its contested share, 23%, was between Fort Bliss at 12% and Fort Bragg at 25%.

Court Levels, Panels, and Discharges

General courts-martial tried 49 of the 73 cases with a court level listed (67%, compared with 69% across the Army). Their median confinement was 1.2 years, and 31% were contested. The 24 special courts-martial had a median confinement of 3 months, and 8% were contested. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

A military judge alone decided 65 cases, and enlisted panels decided 6. Members heard 8% of cases, compared with 13% across the Army. Members heard 6 of 13 contested cases with a forum recorded (46%). A punitive discharge was part of 77% of enlisted convictions (35 bad-conduct and 11 dishonorable), compared with 73% across the Army. 2 of 5 convicted officers or warrant officers were dismissed.

Who Was Accused, and What Is Missing

The accused were 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 as a whole. The yearly counts were 32 in 2024, 28 in 2025, and 15 in 2026, a partial year, together 6% of the 1,252 Army courts-martial in those years. The records do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial.

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.