Navy-Marine Corps Disrespect Cases Against Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Outcomes and Sentences
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) convicted in Navy and Marine Corps Article 89 (disrespect) cases received confinement more often than the wider group: only 18% of convictions carried no confinement, compared with 34% across all Navy and Marine Corps Article 89 cases.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 4 min read
Trends › By Offense › Article 89 › Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4)
Short answer: Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) convicted in Navy and Marine Corps Article 89 (disrespect) cases received confinement more often than the wider group: only 18% of convictions carried no confinement, compared with 34% across all Navy and Marine Corps Article 89 cases. The median confinement was 5 months, the same in both groups. The records hold 23 cases from 2017–2025.
Confinement in 82% of Convictions
Of 22 convictions, confinement was part of 82%. The most common band was under 6 months: 13 convictions (59%), compared with 45% across all Navy and Marine Corps Article 89 cases. Another 4 convictions carried 6 months to 1 year (18%), the same share as the wider group.
Only 1 of the 22 convictions carried more than one year (5%), compared with 3%. None reached 5 years. The median confinement was 5 months, and a quarter of the confinement sentences were 6 months or longer.
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 Article 89 cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 4 | 18% | 34% |
| Under 6 months | 13 | 59% | 45% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 4 | 18% | 18% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 1 | 5% | 3% |
| 5 years or more | 0 | 0% | 0% |
Disrespect Rarely Charged Alone
In 20 of the 23 cases, at least one other article was charged. Article 92 (orders violation) and Article 128 (assault) each appeared in 8 cases. Article 90 (disobeying an officer) appeared in 6, Article 112a (drug) in 5, and Article 87a (resisting apprehension, numbered since 2019) in 4.
Punitive Discharges in 7 Convictions
Of 22 convicted members, 7 received a punitive discharge: 6 bad-conduct discharges and 1 dishonorable discharge. Across all Navy and Marine Corps Article 89 cases, the share was 25%. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Fewer Contested Cases
Only 10 of the 23 records list the plea. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit it. Of those 10, 7 were guilty pleas and 3 were not-guilty or mixed pleas. The contested share was 30%, lower than the 43% across all Navy and Marine Corps Article 89 cases.
Special Courts-Martial Heard Most Cases
General courts-martial made up 13% of these cases (3 of 23). Special courts-martial heard the rest. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Installations and Years
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina had 7 cases and Camp Pendleton, California had 5. Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, San Diego, California, and MCAS Yuma, Arizona had 2 each. These account for 78% of the 23 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
The cases were tried from March 2017 to December 2025: 5 each in 2017, 2018, and 2019, 2 in 2020, 1 each in 2021 and 2022, none in 2023 or 2024, and 4 in 2025.
What the Records Cannot Show
The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019, and further changes began on December 28, 2023. Because the records give trial dates and not offense dates, they cannot show which rules applied to each case. They also do not include the evidence, the plea terms, nonjudicial punishment, or administrative separations.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial tried 2017–2025 that charged junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) under Article 89 (23 cases), compared with every Navy and Marine Corps Article 89 case.
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 89 (Disrespect Toward Superior Officer; Assault of Superior Officer): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- NCOs (E-5 to E-9) Charged Under Article 89 in the Army
- Fewer or More? Disrespect Charges at Army Courts-Martial, 2021–2025
- How Has Article 89 Changed in Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial Since 2017?
- Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4) Charged Under Article 107 in the Navy-Marine Corps
- Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4) Charged Under Article 112a in the Navy-Marine Corps
- Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4) Charged Under Article 121 in the Navy-Marine Corps
- How Much Confinement for an Article 89 Conviction in the Navy-Marine Corps?
- 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.