Navy-Marine Corps Article 80 Cases in 2017

Trends › By Offense › Article 80 › Navy-Marine Corps, 2017

Based on 48 cases · 2017 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Attempt Was Never the Only Charge

All 48 cases charged at least one other article. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 25. Article 120b (child sexual abuse) and Article 120 (sexual assault) appeared in 24 each, Article 134 (general article) in 12, and Article 82 (solicitation) in 7.

The adjudged sentence covers every charge in a case. The long sentences below therefore reflect whole cases. Many of those cases included sexual offense or assault charges. The sentences are not for the attempt charge alone.

Most Sentences Were Longer Than 1 Year

Confinement was part of 98% of the 41 convictions. The median confinement was 2.5 years, compared with an 8-month median for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2017. A quarter of the sentences were 5 years or longer.

Confinement longer than one year was imposed in 30 of 41 convictions (73%), compared with 31% service-wide. Sentences between 1 and 5 years made up 20 convictions (49%), compared with 20%. Another 10 (24%) were 5 years or more, compared with 10%. Only 3 convictions (7%) had sentences under 6 months, compared with 37%. Just 1 conviction (2%) included no confinement.

What These Sentences Mean

These are adjudged sentences: the sentences announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. The records here do not show any later reduction.

Most Cases Were General Courts-Martial

Of the 48 cases, 38 were general courts-martial (79%), compared with 44% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2017. Only 10 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 years at the general courts-martial here and 7 months at the special courts-martial.

Almost Every Convicted Enlisted Member Received a Punitive Discharge

Of 38 convicted enlisted members, 35 received a punitive discharge: 22 dishonorable discharges and 13 bad-conduct discharges. That is 92%, compared with 68% across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2017.

All 3 convicted officers or warrant officers were dismissed. A dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. When no punitive discharge was imposed, a later administrative separation was still possible.

Pleas and Full Acquittals in Limited Records

Only 22 of the 48 records list the plea: 17 guilty pleas and 5 not-guilty or mixed pleas. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 23%, compared with 26% for the service. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea, so this figure is only a rough guide.

Of the 5 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal. That is a very small group, so the rate says little on its own.

Changes From 2016

Cases rose from 20 in 2016 to 48 in 2017. Median confinement rose from 1 year to 2.5 years. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members rose from 64% to 92%. Convictions with confinement rose from 88% to 98%, and the general court-martial share rose from 65% to 79%. The contested share fell from 37% to 23%. Full acquittals went from 2 of 7 contested cases that reached a verdict to 4 of 5.

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

Rank and Installations

Among the accused with a recorded rank, 27 were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 14 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 4 were officers or warrant officers. That group was more senior than all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2017, where 66% were junior enlisted.

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina tried 9 cases, and Okinawa, Japan tried 8. Yokosuka, Japan, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay tried 3 each. Together they account for 54% of the 48 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.

Before the 2019 Law Changes

The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019, after all of these 2017 trials. Its changes included fixed panel sizes, written plea agreements, and judge-alone special courts-martial limited to six months with no punitive discharge. The 2017 cases were tried under the earlier rules.

Only courts-martial appear in these records. Allegations handled by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not counted. The evidence and the plea terms are not described.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 80 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.