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

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Based on 113 cases · 2017–2025 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

How Long Was Confinement?

Article 120c covers conduct such as indecent recording and indecent exposure. The median confinement was 11 months. A quarter of terms were 2.5 years or longer.

The most common range was 6 months to 1 year: 35 convictions (31%), compared with 22% for all Navy and Marine Corps convictions. Terms under 6 months were less common here: 22% compared with 35%. Only 10 convictions (9%) had no confinement, compared with 18% for all Navy and Marine Corps convictions.

Each figure is an adjudged sentence, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. It covers every charge in the case.

Sentences Longer Than One Year

28 convictions (25%) included more than one year and under five years of confinement. 15 (13%) included 5 years or more. For all Navy and Marine Corps convictions, those shares were 18% and 7%.

Court level sets the limit. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge. Here, 66 cases were general courts-martial, with a median confinement of 2 years. 47 were special courts-martial, with a median of 5 months.

The 66 general courts-martial made up 58% of these cases, compared with 41% for all Navy and Marine Corps convictions. Contested shares were about the same at both levels: 27% at general courts-martial and 24% at special courts-martial.

Pleas

Of 113 records, 85 list a plea: 63 guilty pleas and 22 contested cases, meaning the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. That makes 26% contested, compared with 24% for all Navy and Marine Corps convictions.

This post covers convictions only, so no case here ended in a full acquittal. 7 of the 22 contested cases ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another.

Discharges and Dismissals

Among 107 convicted enlisted members, 83 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (78%), higher than the 62% for all Navy and Marine Corps convictions. Of those 83, 31 were dishonorable. A special court-martial can impose a bad-conduct discharge but not a dishonorable one, so each of those 31 came from a general court-martial.

All 4 convicted officers or warrant officers were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

What Else Was Charged

Article 120c was the only charge in 26 of the 113 cases. Article 134 (general article) was also charged in 40, Article 80 (attempt) and Article 120 (sexual assault) in 27 each, Article 128 (assault) in 24, and Article 92 (orders violation) in 13.

A sentence covers the whole case. If a conviction also included Article 120, that finding is part of the totals above.

Rank of the Accused

Among the accused with rank recorded, 66 were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 41 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 4 were officers or warrant officers. This group is more senior than all Navy and Marine Corps convictions, where 65% were junior enlisted.

Year by Year and Base by Base

Between January 2017 and December 2025, there were 13 to 19 cases a year through 2021, then 5 to 10 a year. The records do not show the reason.

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina had the most of these cases (20), followed by Norfolk, Virginia (15), Camp Pendleton, California (12), Bremerton, Washington (11), and San Diego, California (9). Those five account for 59% of the 113. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.

Rule Changes

Article 120c is a covered offense. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute it. When every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new parameters. Both rules depend on the offense date, which these records do not give. Cases tried from 2024 on include both old-rule and new-rule cases.

What the Records Do Not Show

The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or plea terms. Cases resolved by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation are not included. Before December 2020, Navy and Marine Corps records often omit the plea, so plea counts rely on records that list it.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 120c on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

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.