How Navy-Marine Corps General Article Cases Ended in 2019
In 2019, 50 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial charged Article 134 (general article). Officers made up 12% of the accused. The median confinement after conviction was 1.5 years, compared with 6 months across all Navy and Marine Corps cases that year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Offense › Article 134 › Navy-Marine Corps, 2019
Short answer: In 2019, 50 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial charged Article 134 (general article). Officers made up 12% of the accused. The median confinement after conviction was 1.5 years, compared with 6 months across all Navy and Marine Corps cases that year. Sentences of 5 years or more made up 17% of convictions, compared with 5% service-wide.
A More Senior Group of Accused
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 41% of the accused, NCOs 47%, and officers 12%. Across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2019, junior enlisted members were 57%. This group was more senior than the service as a whole.
The records list 6 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 3 were dismissed. A dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. NCOs and officers together made up a larger share of the accused than junior enlisted members.
More Long Sentences Than Service-Wide
Of 48 convictions, 42 included confinement. The median confinement was 1.5 years, longer than the 6-month median for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2019. A quarter of the confinement sentences were 4 years or longer.
Sentences of 5 years or more were imposed in 8 convictions (17%), compared with 5% service-wide. Sentences between 1 and 5 years made up 17 convictions (35%), compared with 19%. In all, confinement longer than one year was imposed in 25 of 48 convictions (52%), compared with 24%.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 6 | 12% | 18% |
| Under 6 months | 10 | 21% | 35% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 7 | 15% | 23% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 17 | 35% | 19% |
| 5 years or more | 8 | 17% | 5% |
Shorter Sentences Were Less Common
Sentences under 6 months made up 10 convictions (21%), compared with 35% for the service. Sentences from 6 months to 1 year made up 7 convictions (15%), compared with 23%. Another 6 convictions (12%) included no confinement, compared with 18%.
All of 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, not just the Article 134 charge.
Most Cases Were General Courts-Martial
Of the 50 cases, 39 were general courts-martial (78%), compared with 43% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2019. Only 11 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 1.8 years at general courts-martial and 3 months at special courts-martial.
Punitive Discharges
Of 42 convicted enlisted members, 31 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (74%). That was more often than the 60% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2019. Of those 31 discharges, 18 were dishonorable.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not prevent a later administrative separation. Administrative separation happens outside the court-martial and is not recorded here.
Other Charges in These Cases
In 34 of the 50 cases, at least one other article was charged. Article 92 (orders violation) was the most common, in 13 cases. Article 107 (false official statement), Article 120b (child sexual abuse), Article 128 (assault), and Article 80 (attempt) each appeared in 8.
The records do not show which Article 134 offense was charged in each case.
Pleas and Verdicts in Limited Records
Only 22 of the 50 records list the plea: 14 guilty pleas and 8 contested. A contested case is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 36%, compared with 28% across the service. Of the 8 contested cases that reached a verdict, 1 ended in a full acquittal.
Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea. These counts are therefore based on fewer records than the case total. A change in a few pleas would change the contested share noticeably.
Changes From 2018
Cases fell from 71 to 50. The contested share rose from 19% to 36%. Convictions with confinement rose from 84% to 88%. Median confinement fell from 1.7 years to 1.5 years. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members were about the same, at 75% and 74%. The general court-martial share rose from 70% to 78%.
In groups like these, a few cases can change the figures. The changes show direction, not precision.
| 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 71 | 50 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 19% | 36% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 2 of 6 | 1 of 8 |
| Convictions with confinement | 84% | 88% |
| Median confinement | 1.7 years | 1.5 years |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 75% | 74% |
| General courts-martial | 70% | 78% |
Installations and the Limits of the Records
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina tried 8 cases. Norfolk, Virginia tried 6, Camp Pendleton, California and Bremerton, Washington 5 each, and Yokosuka, Japan 3. Together they account for 54% of the 50 cases tried from February 2019 through December 2019. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
Trial 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.
How We Counted
Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial with a trial date in 2019 that charged Article 134 (50 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 134 (General Article): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- General Article at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2018: The Year in Numbers (previous / next)
- Navy-Marine Corps Article 134 Cases in 2020 (previous / next)
- Is Navy-Marine Corps General Article Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 134, 2017–2025 (the full trend)
- General Article at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2017: The Year in Numbers
- General Article at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2022: The Year in Numbers
- General Article at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2023: The Year in Numbers
- What Sentence Follows a Navy-Marine Corps General Article Conviction?
- Article 134 explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
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.