How Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2024
In 2024, 29 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial charged Article 120 (sexual assault). The median confinement after a conviction was 3 years, compared with 5 months across the service. Of these cases, 70% were contested, compared with 34% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Offense › Article 120 › Navy-Marine Corps, 2024
Short answer: In 2024, 29 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial charged Article 120 (sexual assault). The median confinement after a conviction was 3 years, compared with 5 months across the service. Of these cases, 70% were contested, compared with 34% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases.
Longer Sentences Than in 2023
Of 22 convictions, 17 included confinement. The median confinement was 3 years. It was 1.5 years in 2023 and 5 months for the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole. A quarter of those terms were 5 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences: the punishment imposed at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. A sentence covers every charge in the case, not the Article 120 charge alone.
Sentences Ranged From No Confinement to Many Years
Confinement of more than one year was adjudged in 13 of 22 convictions (59%), compared with 22% for the service. Of those, 8 (36%) were between 1 and 5 years and 5 (23%) were 5 years or more, compared with 7% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases.
No confinement was adjudged in 5 convictions (23%), about the same as the 25% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Short terms were less common: 3 under 6 months and 1 from 6 months to 1 year. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 5 | 23% | 25% |
| Under 6 months | 3 | 14% | 38% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 1 | 5% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 8 | 36% | 15% |
| 5 years or more | 5 | 23% | 7% |
More Partial Acquittals Than Full Acquittals
A contested case is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of 19 contested cases that reached a verdict, 32% ended in a full acquittal. That was higher than the 27% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2024. Another 8 ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge but guilty of another.
Full acquittals in decided contested cases went from 14 of 24 in 2023 to 6 of 19 in 2024.
How Often the Accused Pleaded Guilty
A plea appears in 27 of the 29 records. Of those, 8 accused pleaded guilty and 19 contested at least one charge, a contested share of 70%. Across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2024, the figure was 34%. These cases were contested more often than most.
Punitive Discharges
Of 21 convicted enlisted members, 17 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (81%), compared with 58% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2024. Of those 17, 13 were dishonorable discharges, which only a general court-martial can impose.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. These records do not include separations.
Rank, Court Level, and Other Charges
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 61% of the accused and NCOs 39%. No officers were charged in these cases. Across the service, 58% of the accused were junior enlisted. Of the 29 cases, 26 were general courts-martial (90%), compared with 38% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases.
Article 120 was the only charge in 14 of 29 cases. In cases with other charges, they included Article 128 (assault) in 6, Article 129 (burglary and unlawful entry) in 4, Article 112a (drug) in 3, and Article 125 (kidnapping) and Article 120c (indecent recording and exposure) in 2 each.
Comparing 2024 With 2023
The number of cases went from 33 in 2023 to 29 in 2024. The contested share went from 73% to 70%, and the general court-martial share from 91% to 90%. Convictions that included confinement went from 84% to 77%. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 82% to 81%.
With groups this small, a few cases can change any of these figures. The changes show direction only.
| 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 33 | 29 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 73% | 70% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 14 of 24 | 6 of 19 |
| Convictions with confinement | 84% | 77% |
| Median confinement | 1.5 years | 3 years |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 82% | 81% |
| General courts-martial | 91% | 90% |
New Rules and Older Cases
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel rather than commanders decide whether to prosecute covered offenses, and Article 120 is a covered offense. When every guilty finding in a case is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence under new sentencing parameters.
Both rules depend on the offense date, which these records do not give. The 2024 trials therefore include cases under both the old and new rules. The longer median confinement occurred in the same year these rules began to apply. The records cannot show whether the rules affected it.
Installations and Limits
San Diego, California, tried 5 of these cases. Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and Bremerton, Washington, tried 3 each, and Mayport, Florida, and Okinawa, Japan, tried 2 each. Together they account for 52% of the 29 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
The records do not include the evidence, plea terms, or anything resolved 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.
How We Counted
Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial with a trial date in 2024 that charged Article 120 (29 cases), compared with all Navy and Marine Corps cases that year and with 2023.
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 120 (Rape and Sexual Assault): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- How Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2023 (previous / next)
- How Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2025 (previous / next)
- Is Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 120, 2017–2025 (the full trend)
- How Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2017
- How Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2021
- Article 120 Sentences in the Navy-Marine Corps: Confinement and Discharges, 2017–2025
- S2 E1: Article 120 Dismissal & the Aftermath (podcast, members)
- Article 120 explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
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.