> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in April 2023 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-april-2023/ - Published: 2026-10-28T08:14:45.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:10:27.000Z - Description: The records list 23 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in April 2023. Of convicted enlisted members, 67% received a punitive discharge, compared with 63% for the Navy and Marine Corps across 2023. The contested share was 32%, the same as for the year. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Navy-Marine Corps [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) › April 2023 **Short answer:** The records list 23 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in April 2023\. Of convicted enlisted members, 67% received a punitive discharge, compared with 63% for the Navy and Marine Corps across 2023\. The contested share was 32%, the same as for the year. Based on 23 cases · April 2023 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Most Terms Were Short April 2023 had 20 convictions, and 15 included confinement. The median confinement was 6 months, the same as the 6 months for the Navy and Marine Corps in 2023\. Only 2 convictions (10%) carried more than 1 year, compared with 23% for the year. None was 5 years or more. Across 2023, that band held 4% of convictions. Most sentences were in the lower bands. Terms under 6 months were 35% of convictions (33% for the year). Terms from 6 months to 1 year were 30% (23% for the year). 5 convictions (25%) had no confinement, compared with 21%. These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each one covers every charge in the case, not a single offense. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2023 | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------ | | No confinement | 5 | 25% | 21% | | Under 6 months | 7 | 35% | 33% | | 6 months to 1 year | 6 | 30% | 23% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 2 | 10% | 19% | | 5 years or more | 0 | 0% | 4% | ## Most Cases Were Special Courts-Martial Only 7 of the 23 cases were general courts-martial. The other 16 were special courts-martial. The general court-martial share was 30%, compared with 46% for the Navy and Marine Corps across 2023 and 50% in April 2022. The court level sets the maximum punishment. A special court-martial cannot impose more than 1 year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge, though it can impose a bad-conduct discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge or dismissal. ## More Punitive Discharges Than the Year Of 18 convicted enlisted members, 12 received a punitive discharge: 9 bad-conduct discharges and 3 dishonorable discharges. That is 67%, compared with 63% for the year. A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge imposed at trial. A sentence without one does not rule out an administrative separation afterward. The share was lower than the 75% in April 2022 and higher than the rate for the year. ## No Single Charge Was Most Common Charge lists exist for 22 of the 23 cases, and each article counts once per case. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 5 cases (23%, compared with 26% for the year). Article 112a (drug offenses), Article 121 (larceny), and Article 92 (orders violations) were each charged in 4 (18%). Several less common charges were more frequent than across the year. Article 86 (AWOL) was charged in 3 cases, or 14%, compared with 4% for 2023\. Article 107 (false official statements) was charged in 3 (14%, compared with 6%). The larceny share of 18% compares with 10% for the year. Article 134 (the general article) was less common than usual, at 14%, compared with 22%. Article 80 (attempts) was charged in 2 cases (9%, compared with 5%). | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2023 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------ | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 5 | 23% | 26% | | [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 4 | 18% | 13% | | [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny | 4 | 18% | 10% | | [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 4 | 18% | 18% | | [Art. 107](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com) False official statements | 3 | 14% | 6% | | [Art. 86](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-86/?ref=bodiesburied.com) AWOL | 3 | 14% | 4% | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 3 | 14% | 22% | | [Art. 80](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-80/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Attempts | 2 | 9% | 5% | ## Pleas and Verdicts The plea appears in 22 of the 23 records: 15 guilty pleas and 7 not-guilty or mixed pleas. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 32%, the same as the 32% for the Navy and Marine Corps in 2023. Of the contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 of 7 ended in a full acquittal, compared with 1 of 9 in April 2022. ## April 2023 Compared With April 2022 There were 23 cases, compared with 28 in April 2022\. The median confinement was 6 months, compared with 8 months. The share of convictions that included confinement was 75%, compared with 88%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members were 67%, compared with 75%. The contested share was 32%, compared with 33%. In groups this small, a few cases can change a percentage noticeably. These comparisons show direction, not exact size. | | April 2022 | April 2023 | | ----------------------------------- | ---------- | ---------- | | Cases | 28 | 23 | | Contested (of pleas recorded) | 33% | 32% | | Full acquittals (decided contested) | 1 of 9 | 2 of 7 | | Convictions with confinement | 88% | 75% | | Median confinement | 8 months | 6 months | | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 75% | 67% | | General courts-martial | 50% | 30% | ## Rank and Installations Among the accused with rank recorded, 12 were junior enlisted members, 7 were NCOs, and 1 was an officer. The accused were more senior than across the Navy and Marine Corps in 2023. Camp Pendleton, California had the most trials (6). Parris Island, South Carolina and Great Lakes, Illinois had 3 each, and Norfolk, Virginia and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina had 2 each. These 5 locations account for 70% of the 23 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every type, so a high count does not single out a base. ## What the Records Omit These records give the trial date, not the date of the alleged offense. They say nothing about the evidence or the terms of any plea. They do not include conduct handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation. Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial with a trial date in April 2023 (23 cases), compared with the whole year. 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 - [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial/) (hub) - [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub) - [March 2023 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 37 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-march-2023/) (previous / next) - [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, May 2023: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-may-2023/) (previous / next) - [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial in 2023: Year in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-2023-year-in-review/) (the whole year) - [April 2018 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 43 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-april-2018/) - [April 2020 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 18 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-april-2020/) - [August 2017 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 37 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-august-2017/) - [August 2019 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 34 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-august-2019/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) ← Previous: [March 2023 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 37 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-march-2023/)Next: [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, May 2023: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-may-2023/) → **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.