Child Sexual Abuse at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2019: The Year in Numbers
Of 35 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial charging Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 2019, 33 ended in a conviction. All 33 sentences included confinement, with a median of 2.5 years, compared with 6 months across the service.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Offense › Article 120b › Navy-Marine Corps, 2019
Short answer: Of 35 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial charging Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 2019, 33 ended in a conviction. All 33 sentences included confinement, with a median of 2.5 years, compared with 6 months across the service. A punitive discharge was part of the sentence for 97% of convicted enlisted members, compared with 60% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases that year.
Nearly Every Enlisted Conviction Included a Punitive Discharge
Of 32 convicted enlisted members, 31 received a punitive discharge: 21 dishonorable discharges and 10 bad-conduct discharges. A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. Across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2019, the share was 60%.
The records list 1 convicted officer or warrant officer, who was sentenced to dismissal, the officer form of the same penalty. When a sentence includes no discharge, an administrative separation can still follow. These records do not show administrative separations.
Every Conviction Included Confinement
All 33 convictions included confinement. The median confinement was 2.5 years, compared with 6 months for the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole. A quarter of the terms were 5 years or longer.
Each figure is an adjudged sentence, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. It covers every charge in the case.
A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year. With 97% of these cases at the general level, longer terms were legally available in almost every case.
Sentence Lengths
Terms longer than one year made up 25 of 33 convictions (76%), compared with 24% for the service. Of those, 15 (45%) were between 1 and 5 years and 10 (30%) were 5 years or more. Only 5% of all Navy and Marine Corps convictions were 5 years or more.
Another 7 convictions (21%) included 6 months to 1 year, close to the 23% service figure. Only 1 conviction included under 6 months. Confinement of more than one year is available only at a general court-martial.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 0 | 0% | 18% |
| Under 6 months | 1 | 3% | 35% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 7 | 21% | 23% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 15 | 45% | 19% |
| 5 years or more | 10 | 30% | 5% |
Most of the Accused Were NCOs
The accused were 21 NCOs, 13 junior enlisted members, and 1 officer. The accused here were more senior than in all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2019. General courts-martial handled 34 of the 35 cases (97%). A general court-martial can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. The other case was a special court-martial, where confinement is capped at one year.
Pleas on Record
A plea appears in 20 of the 35 records. Of those, 11 were guilty pleas and 9 were not-guilty or mixed pleas. That makes 45% contested, compared with 28% in all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2019. Records from before December 2020 often omit the plea, so these figures do not cover the full group.
Few contested cases ended in a full acquittal. In 2019, 2 of 9 decided contested cases did.
Other Charges
Article 120b was the only charge in 4 of the 35 cases. Most cases also charged Article 80 (attempt), in 22. Article 120 (sexual assault) appeared in 16, Article 128 (assault) in 10, Article 134 (general article) in 8, and Article 81 (conspiracy) in 3.
Sentences cover every charge in the case, so the confinement and discharge figures include these other charges. The records do not divide a sentence by charge.
Changes Since 2018
The number of cases went from 50 in 2018 to 35 in 2019. The contested share went from 58% to 45%. Full acquittals in decided contested cases went from 3 of 14 to 2 of 9. Median confinement went from 2.1 years to 2.5 years. The share of convictions with confinement went from 91% to 100%.
Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 95% to 97%, and the general court-martial share from 94% to 97%. With groups this small, each change shows direction, not an exact measure.
| 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 50 | 35 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 58% | 45% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 3 of 14 | 2 of 9 |
| Convictions with confinement | 91% | 100% |
| Median confinement | 2.1 years | 2.5 years |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 95% | 97% |
| General courts-martial | 94% | 97% |
Installations and Missing Information
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, tried 6 of these cases. Norfolk, Virginia, tried 5; Okinawa, Japan, 4; and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Camp Pendleton, California, 3 each. Together they account for 60% of the 35 cases. 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. They do not include cases resolved through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.
Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 also have gaps in other fields. That is why the plea counts here use only some of the cases.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 120b 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 2019 that charged Article 120b (35 cases), compared with all Navy and Marine Corps cases that year and with 2018.
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 120b (Rape and Sexual Assault of a Child): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- Child Sexual Abuse at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2018: The Year in Numbers (previous / next)
- How Navy-Marine Corps Child Sexual Abuse Cases Ended in 2020 (previous / next)
- Fewer or More? Child Sexual Abuse Charges at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2017–2025 (the full trend)
- How Navy-Marine Corps Child Sexual Abuse Cases Ended in 2017
- How Navy-Marine Corps Child Sexual Abuse Cases Ended in 2021
- What Sentence Follows a Navy-Marine Corps Child Sexual Abuse Conviction?
- Article 120b explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Compare: federal court. Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Federal Cases vs. Article 120b 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.