Navy-Marine Corps Article 112a Cases in 2021
In 2021, 106 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial charged Article 112a (drug). A punitive discharge was part of the sentence for 73% of convicted enlisted members, up from 57% in 2020 and higher than the 64% across all Navy and Marine Corps cases.
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Trends › By Offense › Article 112a › Navy-Marine Corps, 2021
Short answer: In 2021, 106 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial charged Article 112a (drug). A punitive discharge was part of the sentence for 73% of convicted enlisted members, up from 57% in 2020 and higher than the 64% across all Navy and Marine Corps cases. Of 23 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal (17%), compared with 26% overall.
Punitive Discharges Were More Common Than in 2020
Of 96 convicted enlisted members, 70 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (73%). That was higher than the 64% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021. Of those discharges, 10 were dishonorable.
In 2020, the share for these cases was 57%. The records do not show the reason for the change. Groups of this size can change by a modest number of sentences.
The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was sentenced to dismissal, the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Nearly Every Record Lists a Plea
A plea is listed in 104 of the 106 records. Of those, 81 were guilty pleas and 23 were not-guilty or mixed pleas. A contested case is one in which the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge.
The 22% contested share was lower than the 32% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021. It was higher than the 10% for these cases in 2020.
How Contested Cases Ended
Of the 23 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal. Another 6 ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge or specification and convicted of another.
The 17% full-acquittal rate was lower than the 26% across the Navy and Marine Corps. With 23 decided cases, a few verdicts would change the rate noticeably.
Most Sentences Were 1 Year or Less
In 102 cases, the accused was convicted of at least one charge, and 90 of those sentences included confinement (88%). The median confinement was 6 months, lower than the 7 months across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021.
Confinement under 6 months was adjudged in 40 convictions (39%), compared with 33% overall. Confinement of 6 months to 1 year was adjudged in 31 (30%), compared with 26%. Confinement of more than one year was adjudged in 19 of 102 convictions (19%), lower than the 26% overall. Only 2 sentences were 5 years or more.
These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 12 | 12% | 15% |
| Under 6 months | 40 | 39% | 33% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 31 | 30% | 26% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 17 | 17% | 21% |
| 5 years or more | 2 | 2% | 5% |
Sentences by Court Level
Special courts-martial handled 76 of the 106 cases, and general courts-martial handled 30. The general court-martial share of 28% was much lower than the 48% across the Navy and Marine Corps in 2021.
Most convictions at both levels included confinement: 90% at general courts-martial and 88% at special courts-martial. The median confinement was 1.2 years at the general level and 4 months at the special level. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Conspiracy Was the Most Common Other Charge
In 66 of the 106 cases, at least one other article was charged. Article 81 (conspiracy) appeared in 28, Article 92 (orders violation) in 21, Article 80 (attempt) in 11, and Article 134 (general article) and Article 107 (false official statement) in 9 each.
A sentence covers every conviction in the case. The confinement and discharge figures therefore include the sentences for these other charges.
Comparing 2021 With 2020
The number of cases went from 112 to 106. Median confinement went from 5 months to 6 months. Convictions that included confinement went from 89% to 88%, and the general court-martial share from 25% to 28%. Full acquittals in decided contested cases went from 1 of 5 to 4 of 23.
The largest changes were in the contested share, from 10% to 22%, and in punitive discharges for enlisted members, from 57% to 73%. In groups of this size, year-to-year comparisons show direction more than precise change. The records cannot show what caused either change.
| 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 112 | 106 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 10% | 22% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 1 of 5 | 4 of 23 |
| Convictions with confinement | 89% | 88% |
| Median confinement | 5 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 57% | 73% |
| General courts-martial | 25% | 28% |
Rank, Location, and Limits
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 85% of the accused, NCOs 14%, and officers 1%. The junior enlisted share across the Navy and Marine Corps was 69%.
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, tried 32 of these cases. Camp Pendleton, California, tried 20; Norfolk, Virginia, 15; San Diego, California, 7; and Washington, D.C., 6. Together they account for 75% of the 106. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
Only cases tried by court-martial are counted. Drug use handled through nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action is not included. The records do not describe the evidence or plea terms.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 112a on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial with a trial date in 2021 that charged Article 112a (106 cases), compared with all Navy and Marine Corps cases that year and with 2020.
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
- Article 112a (Wrongful Use, Possession of Controlled Substances): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- Drug at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2020: The Year in Numbers (previous / next)
- How Navy-Marine Corps Drug Cases Ended in 2022 (previous / next)
- Is Navy-Marine Corps Drug Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 112a, 2017–2025 (the full trend)
- Drug at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2018: The Year in Numbers
- How Navy-Marine Corps Drug Cases Ended in 2019
- How Much Confinement for an Article 112a Conviction in the Navy-Marine Corps?
- S3 E52: What You Need to Know About Positive UAs in the Military (podcast, members)
- Article 112a explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Compare: federal court. Federal Law Has No Crime of Drug Use: How Article 112a Cases Compare · Drug Distribution and Importation: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences, 2016–2025
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.