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# Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, January 2021: The Month in Review
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-january-2021/
- Published: 2026-10-28T08:14:16.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:10:06.000Z
- Description: Navy and Marine Corps records list 38 courts-martial in January 2021. The median confinement was 10 months, compared with 7 months across both services for all of 2021. Article 80 (attempts) appeared in 23% of cases with charges listed, compared with 13% 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/) › January 2021

**Short answer:** Navy and Marine Corps records list 38 courts-martial in January 2021\. The median confinement was 10 months, compared with 7 months across both services for all of 2021\. Article 80 (attempts) appeared in 23% of cases with charges listed, compared with 13% for the year.

Based on 38 cases · January 2021 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Every Case With a Common Charge Ended in Conviction

In January 2021, every case charging one of the most common articles ended in a conviction on that article. All 12 cases charging Article 134 (the general article) ended in a conviction under it, and the median confinement was 1 year. All 11 cases charging Article 128 (assault) did too, and the median was 6 months.

Article 80 (attempts) and Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) each ended in 8 of 8 convictions. The median confinement was 1.7 years for attempts and 5 months for the orders charge. Because a single case can include several articles, these rows overlap.

| Article                                     | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
| ------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| Art. 134 General article                    | 12                | 12 (100%)               | 1 year                                  |
| Art. 128 Assault                            | 11                | 11 (100%)               | 6 months                                |
| Art. 80 Attempts                            | 8                 | 8 (8 of 8)              | 1.7 years                               |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 8                 | 8 (8 of 8)              | 5 months                                |

## The Charge Mix

Charges are listed for 35 of the 38 cases, and each article counts once per case. Article 134 was the most common charge, at 34%, compared with 26% for the Navy and Marine Corps in 2021\. Article 80 appeared in 23%, higher than its 13% yearly share. Article 92 also appeared in 23%, about the same as its 21%.

Assault appeared in 31%, about the same as its 32% share for the year. Article 112a (wrongful use or possession of controlled substances) appeared less often, at 20% compared with 25%, as did Article 120 (rape and sexual assault), at 14% compared with 19%. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) appeared in 11%, and Article 107 (false official statements) appeared in 9%.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                       | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2021 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article                           | 12    | 34%        | 26%                                              |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                                   | 11    | 31%        | 32%                                              |
| [Art. 80](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-80/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Attempts                                    | 8     | 23%        | 13%                                              |
| [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation         | 8     | 23%        | 21%                                              |
| [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 7     | 20%        | 25%                                              |
| [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault                            | 5     | 14%        | 19%                                              |
| [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child      | 4     | 11%        | 8%                                               |
| [Art. 107](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com) False official statements                 | 3     | 9%         | 10%                                              |

## Longer Confinement Than the Year

Of 34 convictions, 31 included confinement (91%). Only 3 (9%) included no confinement, compared with 15% for 2021\. The median confinement was 10 months, and a quarter of the terms were 2.5 years or longer.

Sentences longer than one year were adjudged in 12 of 34 convictions (35%), compared with 26% for the year. Terms of more than one year but under 5 years made up 26%, compared with 21%. Another 3 convictions (9%) were 5 years or more, compared with 5%.

These are adjudged sentences, imposed at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge of conviction in the case.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2021 |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| No confinement                  | 3           | 9%         | 15%                                              |
| Under 6 months                  | 11          | 32%        | 33%                                              |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 8           | 24%        | 26%                                              |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 9           | 26%        | 21%                                              |
| 5 years or more                 | 3           | 9%         | 5%                                               |

## More General Courts-Martial Than the Year

General courts-martial made up 20 of the 38 cases (53%), compared with 48% for 2021\. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. Every conviction at that level included confinement, and the median was 1.8 years.

A special court-martial is capped at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. At the 18 special courts-martial, 81% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 2 months.

## Most Cases Ended in Guilty Pleas

A plea is recorded in 34 of the 38 cases: 28 guilty pleas and 6 contested cases. The contested share was 18%, lower than the 32% for the year. Of the 6 contested cases that reached a verdict, 1 ended in a full acquittal.

Guilty plea rates differed by charge. Of cases charging Article 128, 9 of 10 (90%) ended in a guilty plea, the highest among the most common charges. Of cases charging Article 134, 9 of 12 (75%) did. The records do not explain why an accused pleaded guilty or contested the charges.

## Discharges and Dismissals

Among 31 convicted enlisted members, 20 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (65%), about the same as 64% for 2021\. Of those, 8 were dishonorable.

The month also had 3 convicted officers or warrant officers, and all 3 were dismissed, the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without one does not rule out a later administrative separation.

## Change Since January 2020

January 2020 had 48 cases, and January 2021 had 38\. The median confinement rose from 6 months to 10 months. Convictions with confinement rose from 75% to 91%.

Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members rose from 43% to 65%. The general court-martial share rose from 40% to 53%. The contested share went from 17% to 18%. These are small groups, so the changes show direction, not precise size.

|                                     | January 2020 | January 2021 |
| ----------------------------------- | ------------ | ------------ |
| Cases                               | 48           | 38           |
| Contested (of pleas recorded)       | 17%          | 18%          |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 2 of 4       | 1 of 6       |
| Convictions with confinement        | 75%          | 91%          |
| Median confinement                  | 6 months     | 10 months    |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted)       | 43%          | 65%          |
| General courts-martial              | 40%          | 53%          |

## Rank and Installations

Among the accused with rank recorded, 23 were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 9 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 3 were officers or warrant officers. That mix was more senior than the year, when 69% were junior enlisted.

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and Camp Pendleton, California, had 6 cases each. Norfolk, Virginia, had 4\. Twentynine Palms, California, and San Diego, California, had 3 each. Together they account for 58% of the cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.

## What Is Not Shown

The records list charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial. They give trial dates, not 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 January 2021 (38 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)
- [December 2020 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 29 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-december-2020/) (previous / next)
- [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, February 2021: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-february-2021/) (previous / next)
- [How 2021 Went at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-2021-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: [December 2020 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 29 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-december-2020/)Next: [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, February 2021: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-february-2021/) →

**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.