Navy-Marine Corps Article 82 Cases by the Numbers, 2017–2025

Trends › By Offense › Article 82 › Navy-Marine Corps

Based on 92 cases · 2017–2025 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Many Sentences of 5 Years or More

Of 88 cases that ended in a conviction on at least one charge, 77 included confinement (88%). The median confinement was 1.1 years. A quarter of sentences were 6 years or longer. Of the convictions, 24 (27%) carried 5 years or more, compared with 7% across all Navy and Marine Corps cases.

Sentences of 6 months to 1 year made up 28% of convictions, compared with 22%. Sentences under 6 months made up only 15%, compared with 35%. Sentences longer than one year followed 39 of 88 convictions (44%), compared with 25% for all cases.

These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.

Charged With Child Abuse, Drug, and Attempt Offenses

Article 82 was the only charge in 2 of the 92 cases. The most common other charges were Article 134 (the general article) in 42, Article 112a (drug) in 28, Article 80 (attempt) in 25, Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 24, and Article 81 (conspiracy) in 19.

This group includes cases with a child sexual abuse charge and cases with a drug charge. Each sentence covers every charge in its case. The records do not show the part of a sentence that was for solicitation.

Sentences by Court Level

A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge, while a special court-martial is capped at one year and cannot adjudge a dishonorable discharge. Of the 92 cases, 55 were general courts-martial (60%, compared with 43% across the Navy and Marine Corps).

At general courts-martial, the median confinement was 3 years, and 25% of cases were contested. At the 37 special courts-martial, the median was 7 months, and 19% were contested.

Bad-Conduct and Dishonorable Discharges

Of 82 convicted enlisted members, 65 received a punitive discharge: 33 bad-conduct and 32 dishonorable. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, 62% of convicted enlisted members received one. Of 5 convicted officers or warrant officers, 2 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Pleas and Verdicts

Only 57 of the 92 records list a plea, because Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit it. Of those, 44 were guilty pleas and 13 were contested, meaning a not-guilty plea to at least one charge. The contested share was 23%, compared with 32% across all Navy and Marine Corps cases.

Of the 13 contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 ended in a full acquittal (15%), compared with 31% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Another 2 ended in a partial acquittal.

More Cases Before 2022

There were 15 cases in 2017, 20 in 2018, 6 in 2019, 15 in 2020, and 12 in 2021. There were 7 in 2022, 5 in 2023, 6 in 2024, and 6 in 2025. The 92 cases make up 2% of the 3,740 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in those years.

The most convictions including Article 82 in a single year was 19, in 2018. That was 4% of convictions with offenses listed. In 2017–2019, the offense was part of 38 of 1,243 convictions (3%). In 2023–2025, it was part of 16 of 940 (2%), a smaller share. The records do not show a reason for the change.

Rank and Installation

Among the accused with rank recorded, 62 were junior enlisted, 21 were NCOs, and 6 were officers. This group was more junior than all Navy and Marine Corps cases.

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina had the most cases, 20. Camp Pendleton, California had 14, Okinawa, Japan 12, Bremerton, Washington 10, and Norfolk, Virginia 8. Those five installations account for 70% of the 92 cases. Large installations try more cases of every kind, so these counts do not show a problem at any base.

Law Changes and Limits

The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. It set fixed panel sizes, created judge-alone special courts-martial capped at six months, and brought in 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 sentence within new parameters. Offense dates are not in the records, so the rules for any one case are unknown.

The records also do not show the evidence or plea terms. They do not include cases handled by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: 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.