How 2021 Went at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial
The Navy and Marine Corps records hold 442 courts-martial for 2021. Only 34 of 132 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (26%), compared with 40% in the other services in 2021.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: The Navy and Marine Corps records hold 442 courts-martial for 2021. Only 34 of 132 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (26%), compared with 40% in the other services in 2021. Article 81 (conspiracy) was charged in 11% of cases, compared with 3% in the other services.
A More Complete Record of Pleas
Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often left the plea blank. In 2021, 412 of the 442 records list one, which is much more complete than earlier years. Of those, 280 were guilty pleas and 132 were not-guilty or mixed pleas. The contested share was 32%. In the other services in 2021, it was 41%.
A contested case is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Cases charging Article 112a ended in a guilty plea 78% of the time (81 of 104), the highest among the most common charges. Cases charging Article 128 ended in a guilty plea 57% of the time (73 of 128).
Fewer Full Acquittals
Of 132 contested cases that reached a verdict, 34 ended in a full acquittal. Another 31 ended in a partial acquittal, with an acquittal on some charges and a conviction on others. The full acquittal rate was 26%, lower than the 40% in the other services in 2021.
The 2020 figure was 18 of 53. Many 2020 records lack a plea, so 2020 and 2021 are not counted on the same basis.
Conspiracy, Drugs, and Attempts
Charges are listed in 418 of the 442 records, and each article is counted once per case. Article 81 (conspiracy) was charged in 11% of cases, compared with 3% in the other services in 2021. Article 112a (drug) was charged in 25%, compared with 18%. Article 80 (attempts) was charged in 13%, compared with 6%.
Article 120 (sexual assault) was charged less often: 19% of cases, compared with 24%. Article 128 (assault) was the most common charge, at 32%, close to the 35% in the other services.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the other services in 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 133 | 32% | 35% |
| Art. 134 General article | 110 | 26% | 21% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 106 | 25% | 18% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 88 | 21% | 17% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 78 | 19% | 24% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 54 | 13% | 6% |
| Art. 81 Conspiracy | 46 | 11% | 3% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 42 | 10% | 10% |
Convictions on the Most Common Charges
Article 92 cases most often ended in a conviction on that article (85 of 88, or 97%). Article 128 cases least often did (109 of 133, or 82%). The median confinement was 1.2 years for Article 134 convictions and 6 months each for Article 128, Article 112a, and Article 92 convictions. A case can include several articles, so the rows overlap.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 133 | 109 (82%) | 6 months |
| Art. 134 General article | 110 | 106 (96%) | 1.2 years |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 106 | 102 (96%) | 6 months |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 88 | 85 (97%) | 6 months |
Sentences in 2021
Confinement was part of 85% of the 385 convictions. The median confinement was 7 months. In the other services in 2021, the median was 6 months. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in a case.
Terms longer than 1 year were about as common as in the other services: 100 of 385 convictions (26%), compared with 25%. Terms from 6 months to 1 year were 26% of convictions here, compared with 17% in the other services in 2021. 19 convictions (5%) carried 5 years or more, compared with 7%. 57 convictions (15%) had no confinement, compared with 18%.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the other services in 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 57 | 15% | 18% |
| Under 6 months | 127 | 33% | 40% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 101 | 26% | 17% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 81 | 21% | 18% |
| 5 years or more | 19 | 5% | 7% |
Slightly More Special Courts-Martial Than General
A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. A special court-martial can impose no more than 1 year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. In 2021 there were 213 general and 229 special courts-martial. The general court-martial share was 48%, compared with 67% in the other services in 2021.
At general courts-martial, 92% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 1.5 years. At special courts-martial, 79% did, and the median was 4 months.
Punitive Discharges
A punitive discharge followed 64% of enlisted convictions (163 bad-conduct, 70 dishonorable), compared with 66% in the other services in 2021. Of 12 convicted officers or warrant officers, 7 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later.
The Accused and the Installations
Among the accused with rank recorded, 282 were junior enlisted members, 112 were NCOs, and 14 were officers. The accused were more junior than in the other services in 2021.
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (90), Camp Pendleton, California (60), Norfolk, Virginia (46), San Diego, California (37), and Bremerton, Washington (28) tried the most cases. Together they account for 59% of the 442. Large installations try more cases of every kind, so a high count does not single out a base.
2021 Compared With 2020
There were 442 cases in 2021, compared with 401 in 2020. The contested share was 32%, compared with 30%. The median confinement was 7 months, compared with 6 months. The enlisted punitive discharge share was 64%, compared with 62%. The general court-martial share was 48%, compared with 41%. A few cases can change numbers of this size.
The records do not give offense dates, describe the evidence, or show plea terms. Conduct handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation is not included.
| 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 401 | 442 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 30% | 32% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 18 of 53 | 34 of 132 |
| Convictions with confinement | 85% | 85% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 7 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 62% | 64% |
| General courts-martial | 41% | 48% |
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every Navy and Marine Corps court-martial in the data with a trial date in 2021 (442 cases), compared with the other services in 2021 and with 2020.
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 Year (hub)
- The Navy-Marine Corps Court-Martial Year, 2020 (previous / next)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial in 2022: Year in Review (previous / next)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial in 2019: Year in Review
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial in 2023: Year in Review
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial in 2025: Year in Review
- The Navy-Marine Corps Court-Martial Year, 2017
- 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.