Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial With Article 120 and Article 92, 2021–2025

Trends › By Offense › Article 120 › Navy-Marine Corps, with Article 92

Based on 27 cases · 2021–2025 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Shorter Confinement Than Most Article 120 Cases

Confinement was part of 77% of the 22 convictions. Half of the confinement terms were 6 months or less. In all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120 cases from 2021–2025, the median was 1.1 years.

Confinement of more than one year was adjudged in 4 of the 22 convictions (18%). For all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120 cases, the share was 43%. The most common band was under 6 months, with 8 convictions (36%), compared with 20%. Another 5 convictions (23%) carried no confinement, compared with 17%. At the long end, 1 conviction (5%) carried 5 years or more, compared with 13% for all Article 120 cases.

Fewer General Courts-Martial

General courts-martial heard 17 of the 27 cases (63%). In all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120 cases, the general share was 82%. Special courts-martial heard the other 10 cases.

Median confinement was 10 months at the general courts-martial and 2 months at the special courts-martial. The contested shares were 53% and 50%. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge, so long terms can only come from a general court-martial. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. Since 2019, a special court-martial can also be tried by a military judge alone, with a six-month confinement cap and no punitive discharge.

Verdicts After a Not-Guilty Plea

Of the 13 contested cases with a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal (31%), meaning not guilty of every charge. The full-acquittal rate for all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120 cases was 48%.

Another 6 contested cases (46%) ended in a partial acquittal. In a partial acquittal, the accused is found not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another.

Guilty Pleas Compared With Other Article 120 Cases

The plea is listed in 25 of the 27 records. Of those, 12 accused pleaded guilty and 13 contested at least one charge with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share, 52%, was lower than the 62% in Navy and Marine Corps Article 120 cases overall. The records do not give the reasons for a plea, and they do not show the terms of plea agreements.

Punitive Discharges

A punitive discharge followed 75% of the enlisted convictions: 11 bad-conduct discharges and 4 dishonorable discharges. The rate in Navy and Marine Corps Article 120 cases overall was 77%, about the same.

A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. The sentences here are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case.

Rank and Other Charges

Among the accused, 15 were junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 9 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 0 were officers or warrant officers. The mix is similar to all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120 cases, where 64% were junior enlisted.

No case charged Article 120 alone. Besides Article 92, the most frequent other charges were Article 128 (assault) in 15 cases, Article 115 (communicating threats) in 4, Article 131b (obstruction) in 3, and Article 80 (attempt) in 3.

Most Cases Came in 2021

The cases run from January 2021 to September 2025. There were 20 in 2021, 3 in 2022, 2 in 2023, 1 in 2024, and 1 in 2025.

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina tried 9 cases. Great Lakes, Illinois, San Diego, California, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, and Pensacola, Florida tried 2 each. These five installations account for 63% of the 27 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every type.

Rules and Records

Article 120 is a covered offense. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel instead of commanders decide whether to prosecute covered offenses, which also include domestic violence and murder. When every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence under new sentencing parameters.

The records give trial dates, not offense dates, so they cannot show which rules applied to the cases tried in 2024 and 2025. The records also leave out the evidence, plea terms, nonjudicial punishment, and administrative separations. Cases closed without a court-martial do not appear in these counts.

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.