How Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2021

Trends › By Offense › Article 120 › Navy-Marine Corps, 2021

Based on 78 cases · 2021 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Shorter Sentences Than the Year Before

The median confinement for Article 120 cases was 2 years in 2020 and 1 year in 2021. Of 59 convictions, 53 included confinement, and a quarter of those terms were 2 years or longer.

The median was still higher than the 7 months for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021. These figures are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.

In the same year, the general court-martial share went from 92% to 82%. More of these cases were therefore tried at the level where confinement cannot exceed one year. The records cannot show whether one change caused the other.

Sentences Differed by Court Level

For this year, the records show sentences by court level. At the 64 general courts-martial, the median confinement was 1.5 years, and 62% of cases were contested. At the 14 special courts-martial, the median was 3 months, and 29% were contested.

A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. General courts-martial made up 82% of these cases, and special courts-martial made up the rest.

Sentence Lengths

Confinement of more than one year was adjudged in 24 of 59 convictions (41%), compared with 26% for the service. Of those, 19 (32%) were between 1 and 5 years and 5 (8%) were 5 years or more.

Many sentences were shorter: 15 convictions (25%) included under 6 months and 14 (24%) included 6 months to 1 year. Both shares were close to the shares for all Navy and Marine Corps cases. Another 6 convictions (10%) included no confinement.

Pleas and Contested Cases

Nearly every record this year lists a plea: 75 of 78 cases. Of those, 33 accused pleaded guilty and 42 contested at least one charge with a not-guilty or mixed plea.

The contested share of 56% compares with 32% in all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021. These cases were contested more often than most courts-martial.

Full and Partial Acquittals

All 42 contested cases reached a verdict. In 19, the accused was found not guilty of every charge, a full-acquittal rate of 45%, compared with 26% for the service. Another 9 ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another.

The 42 decided contested cases therefore included full acquittals, partial acquittals, and convictions on every charge. The records do not say which charges ended in not-guilty findings in the partial acquittals.

Discharges After Conviction

A punitive discharge was part of the sentence in 75% of enlisted convictions: 23 bad-conduct discharges and 19 dishonorable discharges. The share for the service was 64%. Bad-conduct discharges, which a special court-martial can impose, were more common here than dishonorable discharges.

Of the 2 convicted officers or warrant officers in the records, 1 was sentenced to dismissal. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Rank and Other Charges

Among the accused with rank recorded, 50 were junior enlisted members, 25 were NCOs, and 2 were officers.

Article 120 was charged with at least one other article in 70 of the 78 cases. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 54, Article 92 (orders violation) in 20, Article 134 (general article) in 10, Article 80 (attempt) in 8, and Article 120c (indecent recording and exposure) in 7.

Comparing 2021 With 2020

The number of cases went from 59 in 2020 to 78 in 2021. The contested share went from 71% to 56%. Full acquittals in decided contested cases went from 13 of 20 to 19 of 42. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 91% to 75%, and the general court-martial share from 92% to 82%.

Convictions that included confinement were about the same: 91% and then 90%. These groups are small enough that a few cases can change any figure, so the comparison shows direction only.

Installations and Limits of the Data

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, tried 16 of these cases. San Diego, California, tried 10; Pensacola, Florida, 8; and Camp Pendleton, California, and Jacksonville, Florida, 6 each. Together they account for 59% of the 78 cases. Large installations try more cases overall.

The records do not show offense dates, the evidence, or plea terms. They do not include anything handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 120 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Federal Cases vs. Article 120 Courts-Martial

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.