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# Navy-Marine Corps Article 112a Cases in 2017
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-112a-2017/
- Published: 2026-10-28T08:15:53.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T01:46:45.000Z
- Description: Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial charged Article 112a (drug) in 150 cases in 2017, up from 61 in 2016. Only 10% of the cases with a plea on record were contested, compared with 26% across all Navy and Marine Corps cases.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Article 112a, Navy-Marine Corps

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Offense](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-offense/) › [Article 112a](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-112a-courts-martial/) › Navy-Marine Corps, 2017

**Short answer:** Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial charged Article 112a (drug) in 150 cases in 2017, up from 61 in 2016\. Only 10% of the cases with a plea on record were contested, compared with 26% across all Navy and Marine Corps cases. The median confinement was 6 months, shorter than the 8 months overall.

Based on 150 cases · 2017 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

## More Cases, Similar Results

Drug cases rose from 61 in 2016 to 150 in 2017\. Most results stayed about the same. The median confinement was 6 months in both years. Convictions with confinement went from 96% to 95%. Enlisted punitive discharges went from 70% to 72%.

The contested share among recorded pleas went from 8% to 10%. The general court-martial share went from 21% to 28%. In small groups, a few cases can cause a year-to-year change, so these figures show direction, not precise movement.

|                                     | 2016     | 2017     |
| ----------------------------------- | -------- | -------- |
| Cases                               | 61       | 150      |
| Contested (of pleas recorded)       | 8%       | 10%      |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 4 of 5   | 6 of 8   |
| Convictions with confinement        | 96%      | 95%      |
| Median confinement                  | 6 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted)       | 70%      | 72%      |
| General courts-martial              | 21%      | 28%      |

## Most Cases Were Special Courts-Martial

Of the 150 cases, 108 were special courts-martial and 42 were general courts-martial. The general court-martial share, 28%, was lower than the 44% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2017.

A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. The median confinement was 4 months at special courts-martial and 1.4 years at general courts-martial. None of the general courts-martial with a plea on record was contested. At special courts-martial, 13% were contested.

## Most Sentences Were Under a Year

Of 139 convictions, 132 included confinement. The median confinement was 6 months, compared with 8 months for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2017.

Sentences under 6 months were the largest band, with 65 convictions (47%), compared with 37% overall. Another 38 (27%) were between 6 months and 1 year. Sentences longer than one year were 29 of 139 convictions (21%), lower than the 31% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Only 4 convictions, or 3%, were 5 years or more, compared with 10%.

Only 7 convictions (5%) included no confinement, lower than the overall share of 10%. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2017 |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 7           | 5%         | 10%                                            |
| Under 6 months                  | 65          | 47%        | 37%                                            |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 38          | 27%        | 23%                                            |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 25          | 18%        | 20%                                            |
| 5 years or more                 | 4           | 3%         | 10%                                            |

## Guilty Pleas Where the Plea Is Known

Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea. Only 77 of the 150 records here list one. Of those, 69 were guilty pleas and 8 were contested, meaning the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge.

The contested share was 10%, compared with 26% across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2017\. Of the 8 contested cases that reached a verdict, 6 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty on every charge. In 2016, the figure was 4 of 5\. These counts are very small and come from a partial record, so they say little about contested drug cases in general.

## Punitive Discharges Were More Common Than Overall

Of 136 convicted enlisted members, 98 received a punitive discharge: 79 bad-conduct and 19 dishonorable. That share, 72%, was higher than the 68% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2017.

Of 3 convicted officers or warrant officers, 1 was sentenced to dismissal, the officer form of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. Only a general court-martial can adjudge a dishonorable discharge, so all 19 dishonorable discharges came from general courts-martial.

## Most of the Accused Were Junior Enlisted

Of the accused with rank recorded, 119 were junior enlisted members, 23 were NCOs, and 3 were officers. The group is more junior than all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2017.

Bremerton, Washington tried 26 of these cases. Camp Pendleton, California tried 23, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina 19, San Diego, California 18, and Norfolk, Virginia 11\. Together they account for 65% of the 150 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a high count alone does not mean a base has a problem with this offense. Other installations tried the remaining cases in smaller numbers.

## Drug Charges With and Without Other Charges

In 84 of the 150 cases, at least one other article was charged. Article 92 (orders violation) appeared in 26, Article 81 (conspiracy) in 24, Article 107 (false official statement) and Article 86 (AWOL) in 12 each, and Article 128 (assault) in 10.

Sentences cover every conviction in a case. The figures above include both drug-only cases and cases with other charges.

## The Rules in Force, and the Gaps

These trials came before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019\. That law later set fixed panel sizes, created judge-alone special courts-martial capped at six months with no punitive discharge, and introduced written plea agreements. None of those changes applied here.

The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or plea terms. Drug use handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation is not in them.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 112a on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com). Dates and sources for the law changes: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/).

### How We Counted

Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial with a trial date in 2017 that charged Article 112a (150 cases), compared with all Navy and Marine Corps cases that year and with 2016.

Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.

## Related Analysis

- [Article 112a (Wrongful Use, Possession of Controlled Substances): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-112a-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub)
- [Drug at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2018: The Year in Numbers](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-112a-2018/) (previous / next)
- [Is Navy-Marine Corps Drug Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 112a, 2017–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-112a-trend-2017-2025/) (the full trend)
- [Drug at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2020: The Year in Numbers](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-112a-2020/)
- [How Navy-Marine Corps Drug Cases Ended in 2019](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-112a-2019/)
- [How Navy-Marine Corps Drug Cases Ended in 2022](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-112a-2022/)
- [Navy-Marine Corps Article 112a Cases in 2021](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-112a-2021/)
- [How Much Confinement for an Article 112a Conviction in the Navy-Marine Corps?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-112a-sent-2017-2025/)
- [S3 E52: What You Need to Know About Positive UAs in the Military](https://www.bodiesburied.com/s3e52-what-you-need-to-know-about-positive-uas-in-the-military/) (podcast, members)
- [Article 112a explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

Next: [Drug at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2018: The Year in Numbers](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-112a-2018/) →

**Compare: federal court.** [Federal Law Has No Crime of Drug Use: How Article 112a Cases Compare](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-no-crime-of-drug-use-article-112a/) · [Drug Distribution and Importation: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-distribution-importation-vs-article-112a/)

**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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.