Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, January 2021: The Month in Review
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.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
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.
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 General article | 12 | 34% | 26% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 11 | 31% | 32% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 8 | 23% | 13% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 8 | 23% | 21% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 7 | 20% | 25% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 5 | 14% | 19% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 4 | 11% | 8% |
| Art. 107 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.
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, 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)
- December 2020 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 29 Cases (previous / next)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, February 2021: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- How 2021 Went at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial (the whole year)
- April 2018 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 43 Cases
- April 2020 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 18 Cases
- August 2017 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 37 Cases
- August 2019 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 34 Cases
- 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.