Navy-Marine Corps Article 80 Cases in 2022
The records hold 22 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial from 2022 that charged Article 80 (attempt). 91% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 64% in all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2022.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Offense › Article 80 › Navy-Marine Corps, 2022
Short answer: The records hold 22 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial from 2022 that charged Article 80 (attempt). 91% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 64% in all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2022. The median confinement was 1.1 years, against 6 months across the service.
Punitive Discharges in 91% of Enlisted Convictions
A punitive discharge followed 91% of enlisted convictions: 10 bad-conduct discharges and 10 dishonorable discharges. The share for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2022 was 64%.
A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. A sentence without one does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Most Cases Were Tried at a General Court-Martial
General courts-martial made up 82% of these cases (18 of 22), and special courts-martial made up the rest. A general court-martial can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year.
Sentence Lengths
Confinement was part of 82% of the 22 convictions. The median confinement was 1.1 years, compared with 6 months for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2022. Among the sentences that included confinement, a quarter were 3 years or longer.
Sentences longer than one year were more common than across the service: 10 of 22 convictions (45%), against 20%. Sentences under 6 months were less common: 2 convictions (9%), compared with 38%.
These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 4 | 18% | 17% |
| Under 6 months | 2 | 9% | 38% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 6 | 27% | 25% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 8 | 36% | 16% |
| 5 years or more | 2 | 9% | 4% |
Changes From 2021
The case count went from 54 in 2021 to 22 in 2022. The contested share moved from 23% to 29%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 2 of 12 to 0 of 6.
The median confinement went from 1 year to 1.1 years, and punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 76% to 91%. Small groups can shift by several points with a few cases, so these changes show direction rather than precise rates.
| 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 54 | 22 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 23% | 29% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 2 of 12 | 0 of 6 |
| Convictions with confinement | 92% | 82% |
| Median confinement | 1 year | 1.1 years |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 76% | 91% |
| General courts-martial | 70% | 82% |
Pleas
21 of the 22 records list the plea. 15 accused pleaded guilty, and 6 contested at least one charge. The contested share, 29%, was lower than the 33% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2022.
Charged Alone in 9 Cases
9 of the 22 cases charged Article 80 by itself. The most common companion charges were Article 134 (general article) in 5 cases, Article 112a (drug) in 4, Article 107 (false official statement) in 3, and Article 120b (child sexual abuse) and Article 120 (sexual assault) in 2 each.
Rank and Location
By rank, the accused were 15 junior enlisted members, 7 NCOs, and 0 officers. The mix was similar to all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2022.
Jacksonville, Florida had the most of these cases, with 6, followed by Great Lakes, Illinois with 4 and Mayport, Florida with 3. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a high count does not by itself mean a base has more of this offense.
What the Records Leave Out
The records show 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 80 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 2022 that charged Article 80 (22 cases), compared with all Navy and Marine Corps cases that year and with 2021.
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 80 (Attempts): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- Attempt at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2021: The Year in Numbers (previous / next)
- Attempt at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2024: The Year in Numbers (previous / next)
- Fewer or More? Attempt Charges at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2017–2025 (the full trend)
- Attempt at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2025: The Year in Numbers
- How Navy-Marine Corps Attempt Cases Ended in 2018
- Article 80 Sentences in the Navy-Marine Corps: Confinement and Discharges, 2017–2025
- Article 80 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.