> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # How Navy-Marine Corps Attempt Cases Ended in 2018 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-80-2018/ - Published: 2026-10-28T08:17:46.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T05:24:53.000Z - Description: Attempt charges under Article 80 appeared in 55 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial tried in 2018. The median confinement was 1.5 years, compared with 7 months for all Navy and Marine Corps cases that year. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Article 80, Navy-Marine Corps [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Offense](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-offense/) › [Article 80](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-80-courts-martial/) › Navy-Marine Corps, 2018 **Short answer:** Attempt charges under Article 80 appeared in 55 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial tried in 2018\. The median confinement was 1.5 years, compared with 7 months for all Navy and Marine Corps cases that year. Of convicted enlisted members, 86% received a punitive discharge, compared with 66% across the service. Based on 55 cases · 2018 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Almost Every Case Included Another Charge Only 1 of the 55 cases charged Article 80 by itself. Every other case also charged at least one other offense. The most common was Article 120b (child sexual abuse), in 30 cases. Other common charges were Article 128 (assault) in 18, Article 120 (sexual assault) in 17, Article 134 (general article) in 14, and Article 112a (drug) in 9\. A sentence at court-martial covers every charge in the case, so the sentences described below are for the whole case, not for the attempt charge alone. ## Confinement Was Longer Than the Service Median Of the 55 cases, 54 ended with a conviction on at least one charge, and 50 of those sentences included confinement (93%). The median term was 1.5 years. Across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2018, the median was 7 months. A quarter of these sentences were 3 years or longer. All of these figures are adjudged sentences. They are the sentences announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. ## Sentence Lengths by Band Confinement of more than one year followed 34 of the 54 convictions (63%), compared with 30% across the service. Of those, 27 convictions (50%) were between 1 and 5 years, and 7 (13%) were 5 years or more. Short sentences were less common. Only 4 convictions (7%) carried no confinement. Another 7 (13%) were under 6 months, compared with 32% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases. At the 43 general courts-martial, 95% of convictions brought confinement, with a median of 2.1 years. At the 12 special courts-martial, 83% did, with a median of 6 months. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2018 | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ---------------------------------------------- | | No confinement | 4 | 7% | 15% | | Under 6 months | 7 | 13% | 32% | | 6 months to 1 year | 9 | 17% | 23% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 27 | 50% | 20% | | 5 years or more | 7 | 13% | 9% | ## Discharges and Dismissals A punitive discharge, either a bad-conduct or a dishonorable discharge, followed 44 of 51 enlisted convictions. Of those, 25 were dishonorable and 19 were bad-conduct. For all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2018, the punitive-discharge share was 66%. The officer equivalent is a dismissal, and all 3 convicted officers or warrant officers here were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge can still be followed by an administrative separation. These records do not show administrative separations. ## Mostly General Courts-Martial General courts-martial heard 43 of the cases and special courts-martial 12\. That general share of 78% compares with 45% across the service in 2018\. Only a general court-martial can impose more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge. Among the accused with rank recorded, 29 were junior enlisted, 22 were NCOs, and 3 were officers. The group was more senior than all Navy and Marine Corps cases that year. ## Pleas Where They Were Recorded Navy and Marine Corps records from before December 2020 often leave out the plea, and only 26 of these 55 records list one. Of those, 17 accused pleaded guilty and 9 contested at least one charge, meaning a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share, 35%, was higher than the 28% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2018\. None of the 9 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. ## Compared With 2017 The number of cases went from 48 in 2017 to 55 in 2018\. The contested share went from 23% to 35%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 4 of 5 to 0 of 9. Sentences were somewhat lower. Median confinement went from 2.5 years to 1.5 years. Convictions with confinement went from 98% to 93%. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 92% to 86%. The general court-martial share was about the same, 79% and then 78%. In groups this small, a few cases can change each figure, so the changes show direction, not precise size. | | 2017 | 2018 | | ----------------------------------- | --------- | --------- | | Cases | 48 | 55 | | Contested (of pleas recorded) | 23% | 35% | | Full acquittals (decided contested) | 4 of 5 | 0 of 9 | | Convictions with confinement | 98% | 93% | | Median confinement | 2.5 years | 1.5 years | | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 92% | 86% | | General courts-martial | 79% | 78% | ## Where the Cases Were Tried Okinawa, Japan tried the most of these cases, 10\. Camp Lejeune, North Carolina tried 8, Norfolk, Virginia 7, Yokosuka, Japan 6, and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii 4\. Those five locations account for 64% of the 55 cases. Large installations try more cases of every type, so a high count alone does not show a problem at any one base. ## Before the 2019 Reforms, and What Is Missing Every one of these trials took place before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019\. Fixed panel sizes, judge-alone special courts-martial capped at six months without a punitive discharge, and written plea agreements all came later and did not apply here. The records list trial dates rather than offense dates, and they say nothing about the evidence or any plea terms. Cases handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation are not in them. For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 80 on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-80/?ref=bodiesburied.com). Dates and sources for the law changes: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial with a trial date in 2018 that charged Article 80 (55 cases), compared with all Navy and Marine Corps cases that year and with 2017. Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com. ## Related Analysis - [Article 80 (Attempts): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-80-courts-martial/) (hub) - [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub) - [Navy-Marine Corps Article 80 Cases in 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-80-2017/) (previous / next) - [How Navy-Marine Corps Attempt Cases Ended in 2019](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-80-2019/) (previous / next) - [Fewer or More? Attempt Charges at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2017–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-80-trend-2017-2025/) (the full trend) - [Attempt at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2021: The Year in Numbers](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-80-2021/) - [Attempt at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2024: The Year in Numbers](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-80-2024/) - [Attempt at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2025: The Year in Numbers](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-80-2025/) - [Article 80 Sentences in the Navy-Marine Corps: Confinement and Discharges, 2017–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-80-sent-2017-2025/) - [Article 80 explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-80/?ref=bodiesburied.com) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) ← Previous: [Navy-Marine Corps Article 80 Cases in 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-80-2017/)Next: [How Navy-Marine Corps Attempt Cases Ended in 2019](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-80-2019/) → **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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.