Which Charges Grew and Shrank at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial? 2021–2022 Compared With 2024–2025
Between 2021–2022 and 2024–2025, Article 128 (assault) fell from 28% to 16% of Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial, and Article 112a (drug offenses) fell from 24% to 12%. Article 128b (domestic violence) went the other way, from 3% to 12%.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Offense › Navy-Marine Corps: charges over time
Short answer: Between 2021–2022 and 2024–2025, Article 128 (assault) fell from 28% to 16% of Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial, and Article 112a (drug offenses) fell from 24% to 12%. Article 128b (domestic violence) went the other way, from 3% to 12%. The records hold 1882 Navy and Marine Corps cases from 2021–2025.
Assault, Drug, and Sexual Assault Charges Fell
Article 128 (assault) was charged in 28% of cases in 2021–2022 and 16% in 2024–2025. Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) went from 24% to 12%. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) went from 14% to 6%.
Other articles fell by smaller amounts. Article 80 (attempts) went from 10% to 7%, Article 81 (conspiracy) from 8% to 5%, and Article 107 (false official statements) from 8% to 6%. Article 134 (general article) went from 24% to 21%, and Article 129 (burglary; unlawful entry) from 4% to 2%.
These shares use the cases whose records list charges: 763 in 2021–2022 and 740 in 2024–2025. A single case can include several articles.
| Article | Share of cases, 2021–2022 | Share of cases, 2024–2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 28% | 16% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 24% | 12% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 14% | 6% |
| Art. 81 Conspiracy | 8% | 5% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 10% | 7% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 8% | 6% |
| Art. 134 General article | 24% | 21% |
| Art. 129 Burglary; unlawful entry | 4% | 2% |
Domestic Violence Charges Rose
Article 128b (domestic violence) appeared in 3% of cases in 2021–2022 and 12% in 2024–2025. Smaller increases appeared for Article 119b (child endangerment), from 1% to 2%, and Article 113 (drunken or reckless operation of a vehicle), from 2% to 3%.
| Article | Share of cases, 2021–2022 | Share of cases, 2024–2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 3% | 12% |
| Art. 119b Child endangerment | 1% | 2% |
| Art. 113 Drunken or reckless operation of vehicle | 2% | 3% |
Charges Across All 5 Years
For the whole period, 1810 records list charges. Article 128 was the most common, in 411 cases (23%), followed closely by Article 134 in 405 (22%). Article 92 appeared in 352 cases (19%), Article 112a in 309 (17%), and Article 120 in 190 (10%). Article 128b appeared in 141 cases (8%), the same share as Article 121 and Article 80.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 411 | 23% | 23% |
| Art. 134 General article | 405 | 22% | 22% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 352 | 19% | 19% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 309 | 17% | 17% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 190 | 10% | 10% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 149 | 8% | 8% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 146 | 8% | 8% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 141 | 8% | 8% |
How Often Each Top Charge Ended in a Conviction
Article 134 cases ended in a conviction on that article most often: 389 of 405 (96%). Article 128 cases did so least often among the top charges: 352 of 411 (86%). Article 92 had 328 convictions on that article out of 352 cases (93%), and Article 112a had 282 of 309 (91%).
The median confinement after a conviction on Article 134 was 1.3 years. It was 6 months for Article 128, 5 months for Article 112a, and 4 months for Article 92. A case can include a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another, so these rows overlap.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 411 | 352 (86%) | 6 months |
| Art. 134 General article | 405 | 389 (96%) | 1.3 years |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 352 | 328 (93%) | 4 months |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 309 | 282 (91%) | 5 months |
Pleas and Full Acquittals
Of 1772 records that list the plea, 1176 accused pleaded guilty and 596 contested at least one charge (34%). A contested case is one with a not-guilty or mixed plea. Cases charging Article 112a ended in a guilty plea 72% of the time (217 of 303), the most among the top charges. Cases charging Article 92 did so 60% of the time (207 of 343).
Of 595 contested cases that reached a verdict, 25% ended in a full acquittal. Another 151 ended in a partial acquittal, meaning the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge and guilty of another.
Confinement at the 2 Court Levels
Of 1648 convictions, 1293 included confinement (78%), with a median of 6 months. There were 2 life sentences. Sentences longer than one year made up 22% of convictions (355 of 1648). Sentences of 5 years or more were 5%, and convictions with no confinement were 22%.
Confinement differed by court level. At the 793 general courts-martial, 89% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 1.5 years. At the 1089 special courts-martial, 71% did, with a median of 3 months. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. All of these are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 355 | 22% | 22% |
| Under 6 months | 591 | 36% | 36% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 347 | 21% | 21% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 269 | 16% | 16% |
| 5 years or more | 86 | 5% | 5% |
Punitive Discharges
Among 1545 convicted enlisted members, 914 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (59%). Of those, 272 were dishonorable discharges. Among 51 convicted officers or warrant officers, 18 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Rank and Location
By rank, 1113 accused were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 572 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 60 were officers or warrant officers. General courts-martial made up 42% of the cases.
Camp Pendleton, California had 265 cases, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina 251, San Diego, California 191, Norfolk, Virginia 180, and Bremerton, Washington 103. These 5 installations account for 53% of the 1882 cases. The yearly count was 442 in 2021, 368 in 2022, 325 in 2023, 394 in 2024, and 353 in 2025.
Limits on Reading These Changes
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. These rules turn on the offense date, which the records do not give. The shifts in charge shares happened in the same period, and the records cannot show whether the law caused them.
The records also do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. Cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation are not included.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial with charges listed, trial dates 2021–2022 and 2024–2025.
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
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Offense (hub)
- Which Charges Grew and Shrank at Air Force Courts-Martial? 2016–2018 Compared With 2023–2025
- Which Charges Grew and Shrank at Army Courts-Martial? 2021–2022 Compared With 2024–2025
- 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.