How Navy-Marine Corps Drug Cases Ended in 2022

Trends › By Offense › Article 112a › Navy-Marine Corps, 2022

Based on 75 cases · 2022 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Full Acquittals Were Slightly More Common Than Overall

Of the 24 contested cases that reached a verdict, 6 ended in a full acquittal (25%) and 8 in a partial acquittal (33%). A partial acquittal means not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another.

The full-acquittal rate was higher than the 20% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2022. With only 24 decided contested cases, a few verdicts would change it noticeably. The comparison shows a direction, not a firm difference. In the 8 partial acquittals, the accused was convicted, but the sentence covered only the charges that ended in a conviction.

The Contested Share Was About the Same as Overall

Of the 75 accused, 51 pleaded guilty and 24 contested at least one charge. A contested case is one with a not-guilty plea to at least one charge. The 32% contested share was about the same as the 33% across the Navy and Marine Corps in 2022.

In 2021, 22% of these cases were contested. From 2021 to 2022, the number of cases went from 106 to 75. Full acquittals went from 4 of 23 to 6 of 24.

Few Cases Were General Courts-Martial

Only 13 of the 75 cases were general courts-martial (17%), compared with 42% across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2022. The other 62 were special courts-martial. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

The median confinement was 1.1 years at general courts-martial and 3 months at special courts-martial. The contested share was 38% at the general level and 31% at the special level. The general court-martial share was lower than the 28% in 2021. Only a general court-martial can adjudge a dishonorable discharge or more than one year of confinement. The 4 dishonorable discharges and the 8 terms of more than one year therefore all came from those 13 cases.

Few Sentences Were Longer Than 1 Year

In 69 cases, the accused was convicted of at least one charge, and 63 of those sentences included confinement (91%). The median confinement of 5 months was close to the 6 months across the Navy and Marine Corps.

The most common sentence was under 6 months of confinement: 34 convictions (49%), compared with 38% overall. Another 21 (30%) carried 6 months to 1 year. Confinement of more than one year was adjudged in only 8 of 69 convictions (12%), compared with 20% overall. Only 1 sentence was 5 years or more. Only 6 convictions (9%) included no confinement, compared with 17%.

These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. They cover every charge in the case.

Most Punitive Discharges Were Bad-Conduct Discharges

Of 67 convicted enlisted members, 46 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (69%). That was higher than the 64% across the Navy and Marine Corps in 2022. Only 4 of those discharges were dishonorable.

The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not sentenced to dismissal. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Year-Over-Year Figures

Median confinement went from 6 months to 5 months. Convictions that included confinement went from 88% to 91%. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 73% to 69%. Groups of this size can change by a few cases, so these changes show direction, not precise measurement.

Other Charges and Rank

Article 112a was the only charge in 32 of the 75 cases. In other cases, it was charged with Article 86 (AWOL) in 10 cases, Article 81 (conspiracy) and Article 92 (orders violation) in 9 each, Article 85 (desertion) in 6, and Article 121 (larceny) in 5. A sentence covers every conviction in the case. The figures above therefore include both drug-only cases and cases with absence, desertion, or theft charges.

Among the accused with rank recorded, 59 were junior enlisted members, 14 were NCOs, and 1 was an officer. The accused here were more junior than in all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2022.

Installations and Missing Information

Camp Pendleton, California, tried 16 of these cases. Norfolk, Virginia, tried 13; Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, 11; Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, 6; and San Diego, California, 5. Together they account for 68% of the 75. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.

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 included.

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.

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.