> ## 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 February 2023 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-february-2023/ - Published: 2026-10-28T08:14:43.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:10:26.000Z - Description: The Navy and Marine Corps tried 20 courts-martial in February 2023. The median confinement was 1.1 years, compared with 6 months for both services across all of 2023. Only 35% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 63% 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/) › February 2023 **Short answer:** The Navy and Marine Corps tried 20 courts-martial in February 2023\. The median confinement was 1.1 years, compared with 6 months for both services across all of 2023\. Only 35% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 63% for the year. Based on 20 cases · February 2023 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Fewer Sentences With Confinement, but Longer Ones Of the 20 cases, 18 ended in a conviction on at least one charge. Only 10 of those 18 convictions included confinement. The share with confinement was 56%, compared with 80% in February 2022. The terms that were adjudged were long. The median was 1.1 years, higher than the 6-month median for the Navy and Marine Corps in 2023\. A quarter of those terms were 3 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge of conviction in the case. With only 10 confinement terms in the month, a few long sentences can raise the median by a large amount. ## Fewer Punitive Discharges Than the Year Among 17 convicted enlisted members, 6 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (35%). Across 2023, 63% of convicted enlisted members did. Of the 6, 4 were dishonorable discharges, the most severe form, which only a general court-martial can impose. The month's 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later. These figures do not show how many members left the service. ## More Sexual Offense Charges Than the Year All 20 cases have charges listed, and each article counts once per case. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 5 cases (25%), compared with 11% for the year. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) appeared in 15%, compared with 5%. Article 134 (the general article) also appeared in 25%, about the same as its 22% yearly share. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) and Article 112a (wrongful use or possession of controlled substances) each appeared in 20%, compared with 18% and 13% for 2023. Assault was less common than usual. Article 128 appeared in 15% of cases, compared with 26% for the year. Article 80 (attempts) also appeared in 15%, compared with 5%, and Article 90 (willfully disobeying a superior officer) appeared in 5%. | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2023 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------ | | [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault | 5 | 25% | 11% | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 5 | 25% | 22% | | [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 4 | 20% | 18% | | [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 4 | 20% | 13% | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 3 | 15% | 26% | | [Art. 80](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-80/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Attempts | 3 | 15% | 5% | | [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child | 3 | 15% | 5% | | [Art. 90](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-90/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Willfully disobeying superior officer | 1 | 5% | 2% | ## A More Senior Group The accused this month were more senior than usual. There were 7 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 11 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 2 officers or warrant officers. Across the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2023, junior enlisted made up 65% of the accused. This month had more NCOs than junior enlisted members. Across the year, junior enlisted members were the larger group. ## Pleas and Acquittals Every record in the month lists a plea. There were 13 guilty pleas and 7 contested cases, in which the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 35%, about the same as the 32% for 2023. Of the 7 contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 ended in a full acquittal. A contested case can also end in a partial acquittal, where the accused is found not guilty of some charges but guilty of others. ## Court Levels The month had 9 general courts-martial and 11 special courts-martial. The general court-martial share was 45%, about the same as 46% for the year. Court level limits the sentence. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and can impose a bad-conduct discharge but not a dishonorable one. ## How February 2022 Compares February 2022 had 23 cases, and February 2023 had 20\. The contested share went from 33% to 35%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 1 of 7 to 2 of 7. Sentences changed more. The median confinement rose from 7 months to 1.1 years. Convictions with confinement fell from 80% to 56%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members fell from 60% to 35%. The general court-martial share rose from 35% to 45%. In groups this small, a few cases can change a percentage, so these changes show direction, not firm trends. | | February 2022 | February 2023 | | ----------------------------------- | ------------- | ------------- | | Cases | 23 | 20 | | Contested (of pleas recorded) | 33% | 35% | | Full acquittals (decided contested) | 1 of 7 | 2 of 7 | | Convictions with confinement | 80% | 56% | | Median confinement | 7 months | 1.1 years | | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 60% | 35% | | General courts-martial | 35% | 45% | ## What the Records Omit Only cases that reached a courtroom appear here. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, and cases closed with no action are not included. The records do not describe the evidence or the terms of any plea agreement. They also list trial dates rather than offense dates. 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 February 2023 (20 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) - [January 2023 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 25 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-january-2023/) (previous / next) - [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 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: [January 2023 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 25 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-january-2023/)Next: [March 2023 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 37 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-march-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.