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# Article 80 Sentences in the Navy-Marine Corps: Confinement and Discharges, 2017–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-80-sent-2017-2025/
- Published: 2026-10-28T08:06:06.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-28T08:25:52.000Z
- Description: Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial produced 314 convictions involving Article 80 (attempt) from 2017–2025. The median confinement was 1.5 years, compared with 6 months across all Navy and Marine Corps convictions.
- 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/) › Article 80 Sentences in the Navy-Marine 

**Short answer:** Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial produced 314 convictions involving Article 80 (attempt) from 2017–2025\. The median confinement was 1.5 years, compared with 6 months across all Navy and Marine Corps convictions. More than one year was adjudged in 172 of them (55%, compared with 25%), and 84% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge.

Based on 314 cases · 2017–2025 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Other Charges in Attempt Cases

Article 80 punishes an attempt to commit another offense, so the other charges in a case show what kind of conduct was involved. Article 120b (child sexual abuse) appeared in 106 of the 314 cases, Article 134 (general article) in 81, Article 128 (assault) in 77, Article 120 (sexual assault) in 70, and Article 112a (drug) in 42\. Article 80 was the only charge in 43 cases.

Each sentence covers every finding in the case. The figures below include both attempted offenses and completed offenses charged in the same case.

## Confinement After Conviction

Of the 314 convictions, 286 included confinement (91%). The median confinement was 1.5 years, and a quarter of the sentences were 3 years or longer. Across all Navy and Marine Corps convictions, the median was 6 months.

The largest band in the table is more than 1 year but under 5 years, with 123 convictions (39%), compared with 18% across the service. Another 49 (16%) were 5 years or more, compared with 7%. Sentences under 6 months made up only 14%, compared with 35%. No confinement was adjudged in 28 convictions (9%), compared with 18%. The 6 months to 1 year band was 22% in both groups.

These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Navy and Marine Corps convictions in those years |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 28          | 9%         | 18%                                                         |
| Under 6 months                  | 44          | 14%        | 35%                                                         |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 70          | 22%        | 22%                                                         |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 123         | 39%        | 18%                                                         |
| 5 years or more                 | 49          | 16%        | 7%                                                          |

## General Courts-Martial Handled Most Cases

Of these cases, 240 were tried by general court-martial (76%), compared with 41% across all Navy and Marine Corps convictions. Another 74 were tried by special court-martial. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge.

The median confinement was 2 years at general courts-martial and 6 months at special courts-martial. The contested share was 31% at the general level and 15% at the special level.

## Most Convicted Enlisted Members Received a Punitive Discharge

Among 298 convicted enlisted members, 249 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (84%), higher than the 62% across the service. Of those, 136 were dishonorable.

Of 12 convicted officers or warrant officers, 11 were dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

## How the Accused Pleaded

A plea appears in 224 of the 314 records: 164 guilty pleas and 60 contested cases, in which the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share, 27%, is slightly higher than the 24% across all Navy and Marine Corps convictions.

This page covers convictions only, so no case here ended in a full acquittal. Among the 60 contested cases, 8 ended in a partial acquittal, meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another.

## Rank of the Accused

Among the accused with rank recorded, 178 were junior enlisted, 120 were NCOs, and 12 were officers. That group is more senior than all Navy and Marine Corps convictions in these years. NCOs and officers made up a larger part of this group than of all Navy and Marine Corps convictions. Junior enlisted members were still the largest group.

## Cases by Year and Installation

From 2017 through 2021, there were between 40 and 54 cases each year. There were 22 in 2022, 15 in 2023, 26 in 2024, and 23 in 2025\. The records do not show why these numbers changed.

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina tried 39 of the cases, Okinawa, Japan 32, San Diego, California 30, Norfolk, Virginia 27, and Camp Pendleton, California 24\. Those five account for 48% of the 314 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.

## Law Changes in This Period

The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019\. It brought fixed panel sizes, judge-alone special courts-martial capped at six months with no punitive discharge, and written plea agreements. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. For offenses after December 27, 2023, judges set sentences within new parameters. The records do not give offense dates, so trials from 2024 on include cases under both the old and the new rules.

## What the Records Do Not Show

The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or plea terms. Cases handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation are not included. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea, so plea figures use only the records that list it.

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 tried 2017–2025: ending in a conviction under Article 80 (attempt) (314 cases), compared with all Navy and Marine Corps convictions in those years.

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)
- [Sentences](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/sentences/) (hub)
- [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/)
- [Not Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Article 80 Cases: What Happened at Trial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-80-acq-2017-2025/)
- [Pleading Guilty to Article 80 in the Navy-Marine Corps: What Sentences Followed?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-80-plea-2017-2025/)
- [What Sentence Follows an Army Attempt Conviction?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-80-sent-2021-2025/) (another service)
- [Article 80 Sentences in the Air Force: Confinement and Discharges, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-80-sent-2016-2025/) (another service)
- [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)

**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.