General Article at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2018: The Year in Numbers

Trends › By Offense › Article 134 › Navy-Marine Corps, 2018

Based on 71 cases · 2018 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Most Cases Were General Courts-Martial

Of the 71 cases, 50 were general courts-martial (70%), compared with 45% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2018. The other 21 were special courts-martial.

The court level sets the maximum sentence. 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. Here, the median confinement was 2.2 years at general courts-martial and 4 months at special courts-martial.

Many Sentences Were Longer Than 1 Year

Confinement longer than one year was imposed in 38 of 68 convictions (56%), compared with 30% service-wide. Sentences between 1 and 5 years made up 27 convictions (40%), compared with 20% for the service. Sentences of 5 years or more made up 11 convictions (16%), compared with 9%.

Shorter sentences were less common than across the service. Sentences under 6 months made up 10 convictions (15%), compared with 32%. Sentences from 6 months to 1 year made up 9 convictions (13%), compared with 23%. No confinement was imposed in 16% of convictions, about the same as the service's 15%.

Median Confinement

Of the 71 cases, 68 ended with a conviction on at least one charge. Of those sentences, 57 included confinement (84%). The median confinement was 1.7 years, longer than the 7-month median for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2018. A quarter of the confinement sentences were 3 years or longer.

These are adjudged sentences: the sentences announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case, not only the Article 134 charge.

Other Charges in These Cases

Article 134 was the only charge in 22 of 71 cases. In the other cases, the most common other charges were Article 128 (assault) and Article 80 (attempt), in 14 cases each. Article 120c (indecent recording and exposure) appeared in 12, Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 11, and Article 92 (orders violation) in 8.

The records do not say which Article 134 offense was charged in each case. The other charges give a general idea of the kinds of cases included.

Punitive Discharges and Dismissals

Of enlisted convictions, 75% included a punitive discharge: 24 bad-conduct discharges and 23 dishonorable discharges. Across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2018, the share was 66%.

The records list 5 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 4 were dismissed. A dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Few Contested Cases in Limited Plea Records

Only 32 of the 71 records list the plea. Among those, 26 accused pleaded guilty and 6 entered not-guilty or mixed pleas. The contested share was 19%, compared with 28% for the service. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge.

The contested share was 11% at general courts-martial and 31% at special courts-martial. Of the 6 contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 ended in a full acquittal. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea, so these figures are based on a small part of the cases.

Changes From 2017

Cases rose from 66 to 71. Median confinement fell from 2.7 years to 1.7 years. Convictions with confinement fell from 92% to 84%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members fell from 81% to 75%. The contested share fell from 23% to 19%, and the general court-martial share fell from 79% to 70%.

In small groups, a few cases can change the results. These changes show direction, not precision.

Rank and Installations

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 53% of the accused, NCOs 40%, and officers 7%. Across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2018, junior enlisted members were 61%.

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina tried 15 cases. Norfolk, Virginia tried 8, San Diego, California 7, and Quantico, Virginia and Okinawa, Japan 6 each. Those installations account for 59% of the 71 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.

Before the 2019 Law Changes

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

Only cases tried by court-martial are counted. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, and allegations with no action are not included. The records do not describe the evidence or the plea terms.

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.