Article 120 Sentences in the Navy-Marine Corps: Confinement and Discharges, 2017–2025

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Based on 332 cases · 2017–2025 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Confinement Was Measured in Years

Sexual assault convictions had some of the longest sentences in the Navy and Marine Corps. Of 332 convictions, 294 included confinement, and the median confinement was 2.2 years. Across all Navy and Marine Corps convictions in the same years, the median was 6 months.

A quarter of the confinement sentences were 6 years or longer. Terms of 5 years or more were adjudged in 88 convictions (27%), compared with 7% for the service. Another 119 (36%) were between one and five years.

These are adjudged sentences, the terms announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.

Almost All Cases Were General Courts-Martial

General courts-martial handled 283 of the 332 cases (85%), compared with 41% across all Navy and Marine Corps convictions. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is limited to one year and a bad-conduct discharge.

Sentences differed by court level. At general courts-martial, 90% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 3 years. At the 49 special courts-martial, 82% did, with a median of 6 months.

Contested Cases Were Much More Common Than Usual

Pleas are recorded in 219 of the 332 records. Of those, 106 were not-guilty or mixed pleas, which makes a case contested, and 113 were guilty pleas. The contested share of 48% was much higher than the 24% across all Navy and Marine Corps convictions.

Every case here ended in at least one conviction, so this group has no full acquittals. Partial acquittals were common: in 23 of the 106 contested cases (22%), the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge or specification and convicted of another.

Most Enlisted Members Received a Punitive Discharge

Of 314 convicted enlisted members, 265 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (84%). That was much higher than the 62% for the service. Of those 265, 195 were dishonorable, the most severe discharge a court-martial can adjudge.

There were 10 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 8 were sentenced to dismissal. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Other Charges in the Same Cases

Article 120 was the only charge in 52 of the 332 cases. The other cases also charged Article 128 (assault) in 213 cases, Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 85, Article 80 (attempt) in 70, Article 134 (general article) in 58, and Article 92 (orders violation) in 40.

Every sentence figure here includes these other charges. The records do not separate the part of a sentence for the sexual assault finding.

Rank of the Accused

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 62% of the accused, NCOs 35%, and officers 3%. Junior enlisted members were 65% of all Navy and Marine Corps convictions. The accused here were slightly more senior than in the service as a whole.

Counts by Year and Installation

The cases were tried from January 2017 to October 2025. The counts were highest in the early years: 68 in 2017 and 55 in 2018. There were 59 in 2021. From 2022 through 2024, the yearly total was between 19 and 22, and 2025 had 9. The records cannot show the reason for the changes.

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, tried 43 of these cases. Okinawa, Japan, tried 40; Camp Pendleton, California, and Norfolk, Virginia, 37 each; and San Diego, California, 27. Together they account for 55% of the total. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.

Several Changes in the Law

Article 120 was rewritten in 2012 and amended again for offenses on or after January 1, 2019. Each case is charged under the version in force when the offense happened. The Military Justice Act of 2016 also took effect on January 1, 2019. Since December 28, 2023, Article 120 has been a covered offense, and special trial counsel rather than commanders decide whether to prosecute it. Judges sentence under new parameters for offenses after December 27, 2023. The records do not give offense dates, so they cannot sort cases by which rules applied.

What the Records Do Not Show

Trial records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not include the evidence, the plea terms, or allegations that never reached a court-martial. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often lack a plea, so plea counts use only records that include one.

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.