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# Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial With Article 120b and Article 134, 2021–2026
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-120b-and-article-134-charged-together/
- Published: 2026-10-30T05:28:19.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T01:45:51.000Z
- Description: From 2021–2026, 44 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial charged both Article 120b (child sexual abuse) and Article 134 (general article). The median confinement was 7.5 years, compared with 4 years in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120b cases.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Article 120b, Article 134, Navy-Marine Corps

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Offense](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-offense/) › [Article 120b](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-120b-courts-martial/) › Navy-Marine Corps, with Article 134

**Short answer:** From 2021–2026, 44 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial charged both Article 120b (child sexual abuse) and Article 134 (general article). The median confinement was 7.5 years, compared with 4 years in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120b cases. Only 14% of these cases were contested, compared with 30%.

Based on 44 cases · 2021–2026 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Median Confinement of 7.5 Years

Of the 44 cases, 43 ended in a conviction on at least one charge. Confinement was part of 42 of those 43 sentences (98%). The median confinement was 7.5 years, longer than the 4 years median for all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120b cases. A quarter of the confinement terms were 15 years or longer.

Confinement of more than one year was adjudged in 39 of the 43 convictions (91%), compared with 72% in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120b cases. Terms of 5 years or more made up 28 convictions (65%), compared with 48%. No conviction carried confinement under 6 months, and 1 (2%) carried no confinement. The band from 6 months to 1 year held 3 convictions (7%), compared with 18%, and the band from more than 1 year to under 5 years held 11 (26%), compared with 25%.

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

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps-wide Article 120b cases |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 1           | 2%         | 4%                                                   |
| Under 6 months                  | 0           | 0%         | 6%                                                   |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 3           | 7%         | 18%                                                  |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 11          | 26%        | 25%                                                  |
| 5 years or more                 | 28          | 65%        | 48%                                                  |

## Guilty Pleas in Most Cases

Of the 44 accused, 38 pleaded guilty and 6 contested at least one charge with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share, 14%, was lower than the 30% for all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120b cases.

The records do not give the reasons for any plea. They also do not show the terms of any plea agreement. A plea-agreement cap can lower a sentence after trial.

## Most Punitive Discharges Were Dishonorable

A punitive discharge followed 95% of the enlisted convictions. Of those, 35 were dishonorable discharges and 4 were bad-conduct discharges. In all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120b cases, the share was 97%.

The records include 1 convicted officer or warrant officer, who was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later.

## Almost Every Case Was a General Court-Martial

There were 43 general courts-martial and 1 special court-martial. The general share, 98%, compares with 92% in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120b cases.

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 and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. Since 2019, a special court-martial can also be heard by a military judge alone, with confinement capped at six months and no punitive discharge.

## Attempt and Solicitation Charges

No case charged Article 120b alone. Besides Article 134, the most frequent other charges were Article 80 (attempt) in 13 cases, Article 82 (solicitation) in 9, Article 120c (indecent recording and exposure) in 3, and Article 120 (sexual assault) in 3.

In all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120b cases, 38 of 117 charged Article 120b by itself.

## Rank of the Accused

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 56% of the accused, NCOs 42%, and officers 2%. In all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120b cases, junior enlisted members were 54% of the accused, so the rank mix here is about the same.

## Years and Installations

The cases were tried from January 2021 through July 2026\. There were 15 in 2021, 5 in 2022, 4 in 2023, 5 in 2024, 7 in 2025, and 8 in 2026\. The 2026 count is a partial year, and it is already higher than any year since 2021.

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina tried 8 cases and San Diego, California tried 5\. Camp Pendleton, California tried 4, and Mayport, Florida and Quantico, Virginia tried 3 each. These five installations account for 52% of the 44 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.

## Rule Changes and Limits of the Records

Article 120b is a covered offense. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses. When every guilty finding in a case is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters.

Both rules depend on the offense date. The records give trial dates only, so trials from 2024 on include cases under the old rules and the new rules. The records also do not describe the evidence, and they do not include nonjudicial punishment or administrative separations.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 120b on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com). Dates and sources for the law changes: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/).

### How We Counted

Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial with trial dates in 2021–2026 that charged both Article 120b and Article 134 (44 cases), compared with all 117 Navy and Marine Corps Article 120b cases in those years.

Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.

## Related Analysis

- [Article 120b (Rape and Sexual Assault of a Child): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-120b-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [Article 134 (General Article): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-134-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial With Article 120b and Article 80, 2021–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-120b-and-article-80-charged-together/)
- [Army Cases Charging Both Article 120b and Article 128](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-128-charged-together/)
- [Army Cases Charging Both Article 120b and Article 128b](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-128b-charged-together/)
- [Army Courts-Martial With Article 120b and Article 134, 2021–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-134-charged-together/)
- [Army Courts-Martial With Article 120b and Article 92, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-92-charged-together/)
- [Article 120b With Article 131b in the Army: What the Records Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-131b-charged-together/)
- [Article 120b With Article 80 in the Army: What the Records Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-80-charged-together/)
- [Article 120b explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

**Compare: federal court.** [Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Federal Cases vs. Article 120b Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-sexual-abuse-enticement-vs-article-120b/)

**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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.