General Article at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2017: The Year in Numbers

Trends › By Offense › Article 134 › Navy-Marine Corps, 2017

Based on 66 cases · 2017 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Median Confinement Was 2.7 Years

Of 63 convictions, 58 included confinement (92%). The median confinement was 2.7 years, compared with an 8-month median for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2017. A quarter of these sentences were 8 years or longer.

Sentences of 5 years or more were imposed in 20 convictions (32%), compared with 10% across the service. Another 23 convictions (37%) had sentences between 1 and 5 years. Only 8 convictions (13%) had sentences under 6 months, compared with 37% service-wide.

What the Sentence Figures Mean

These are adjudged sentences: the sentences announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in a case. In 2017, Article 134 was often charged with serious offenses. The sentence lengths therefore reflect the whole case, not the Article 134 charge alone.

Sexual Offense Charges Were Common

Article 134 was the only charge in 19 of 66 cases. In the other cases, Article 120 (sexual assault) and Article 128 (assault) each appeared in 21 cases. Article 120b (child sexual abuse) appeared in 18, Article 80 (attempt) in 12, and Article 82 (solicitation) in 10.

These other charges show what kinds of cases are included in the numbers. The records do not describe the specific Article 134 conduct charged in each case.

Most Cases Were General Courts-Martial

Of the 66 cases, 52 were general courts-martial (79%), compared with 44% across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2017. Only 14 were special courts-martial.

A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is limited to one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. The median confinement was 3.6 years at the general courts-martial here and 4 months at the special courts-martial.

More Dishonorable Than Bad-Conduct Discharges

Of 59 convicted enlisted members, 48 received a punitive discharge: 34 dishonorable discharges and 14 bad-conduct discharges. That is 81%, compared with 68% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2017.

Officers receive a dismissal instead of a discharge. The records list 4 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 3 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Rank and Installations

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 43% of the accused, NCOs 49%, and officers 8%. Across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2017, junior enlisted members were 66%. This group was more senior than all cases, and there were more NCOs than junior enlisted members.

Okinawa, Japan tried the most cases (8). Camp Lejeune, North Carolina tried 7, Norfolk, Virginia and Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay 6 each, and Camp Pendleton, California 5. Those installations account for 48% of the 66 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.

Pleas in the Records That List Them

Only 31 of the 66 records list the plea. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit it. Among those 31, 24 accused pleaded guilty and 7 entered not-guilty or mixed pleas. The contested share was 23%, compared with 26% for the service. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge.

Of the 7 contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 ended in a full acquittal. With so few recorded pleas, these plea and verdict figures are only a rough guide.

Changes From 2016

Cases rose from 28 in 2016 to 66 in 2017. Median confinement rose from 1.8 years to 2.7 years. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members rose from 76% to 81%. The general court-martial share rose from 68% to 79%. The contested share went from 19% to 23%, and convictions with confinement stayed at 92%.

In groups like these, a few cases can change the results. The changes show direction, not precision.

Before the Military Justice Act, and Other Limits

These trials came before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. That law later brought fixed panel sizes, judge-alone special courts-martial limited to six months with no punitive discharge, and written plea agreements. None of those changes applied here.

The records show the charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 134 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.