General Article at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2022: The Year in Numbers

Trends › By Offense › Article 134 › Navy-Marine Corps, 2022

Based on 70 cases · 2022 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

No Full Acquittals in Contested Cases

Of 23 contested cases that reached a verdict, 0 ended in a full acquittal. In 2021, 4 of 36 did. A contested case is one in which the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge, including a mixed plea.

Some contested cases ended in a partial acquittal. In 6 (26%), the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another. Every case in the group ended with a conviction on at least one charge, so all 70 went on to sentencing. In these records, no 2022 Article 134 trial in the Navy and Marine Corps ended in a full acquittal, whether the accused pleaded guilty or contested the charges.

Pleas Were the Same as Service-Wide

The plea is recorded in 69 of the 70 cases: 46 guilty pleas and 23 contested. The contested share was 33%, the same as the 33% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2022.

The contested share was different by court level. It was 40% at general courts-martial and 21% at special courts-martial.

Median Confinement Was 1.5 Years

Of 70 convictions, 59 included confinement. The median confinement was 1.5 years, longer than the 6-month median across the service. A quarter of the sentences were 2.5 years or longer.

Confinement longer than one year was imposed in 33 of 70 convictions (47%), compared with 20% service-wide. Sentences between 1 and 5 years made up 28 convictions (40%), compared with 16%. Another 5 (7%) had sentences of 5 years or more. Shorter sentences were less common than service-wide. Sentences under 6 months made up 16 convictions (23%), compared with 38%. Sentences from 6 months to 1 year made up 10 (14%), compared with 25%. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case.

Sentences by Court Level

General courts-martial tried 46 of the 70 cases. That 66% share compares with 42% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2022. The other 24 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 2 years at general courts-martial and 2 months at special courts-martial.

Article 134 Was Often the Only Charge

Article 134 was the only charge in 35 of the 70 cases. When other articles were charged, the most common were Article 92 (orders violation) in 8, Article 128 (assault) in 7, and Article 80 (attempt), Article 120b (child sexual abuse), and Article 120c (indecent recording and exposure) in 5 each.

The records do not show which Article 134 offense each case involved.

Punitive Discharges After Conviction

Of 69 convicted enlisted members, 48 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (70%). That was more often than the 64% across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2022. Of those 48 discharges, 24 were dishonorable.

A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. These records do not track administrative separations. No convicted officers appear in this group, so there were no dismissals, the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge.

Changes From 2021

Cases fell from 110 to 70. Full acquittals went from 4 of 36 contested cases that reached a verdict to 0 of 23. Convictions with confinement fell from 92% to 84%. Median confinement rose from 1.2 years to 1.5 years.

The contested share stayed at 33%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 69% to 70%. The general court-martial share fell from 73% to 66%. In groups this size, a few cases can change the results. The changes show direction, not precision.

Rank and Installations

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 65% of the accused and NCOs 35%. Officers made up 0%. Across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2022, junior enlisted members were also 65%.

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina tried 12 cases. Camp Pendleton, California tried 9, Bremerton, Washington and Okinawa, Japan 7 each, and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii 6. Together they account for 59% of the 70 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.

What the Records Do Not Show

Trial records show the charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or any 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.