What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in March 2022
The records show 38 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in March 2022. Drug and larceny charges were more common than across the year: Article 112a appeared in 30% of cases with charges listed and Article 121 (larceny) in 14%, compared with 22% and 7% for all of 2022.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: The records show 38 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in March 2022. Drug and larceny charges were more common than across the year: Article 112a appeared in 30% of cases with charges listed and Article 121 (larceny) in 14%, compared with 22% and 7% for all of 2022. The median confinement was 4 months, compared with 6 months for the year.
Drugs, Larceny, and Unlawful Entry
Charges are listed for 37 of the 38 cases, and a case charging three articles appears in three rows. Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) was the most common charge, in 11 cases (30%), compared with 22% for the Navy and Marine Corps in 2022.
Property offenses were also more common. Article 121 (larceny) appeared in 5 cases (14%), compared with 7%. Article 129 (burglary; unlawful entry) appeared in 4 cases (11%), compared with 4%.
Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation), Article 134 (general article), and Article 128 (assault) appeared in 8 cases each (22%), about the same as their shares for the year. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 4 cases (11%), and Article 107 (false official statements) appeared in 3 (8%).
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 11 | 30% | 22% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 8 | 22% | 18% |
| Art. 134 General article | 8 | 22% | 20% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 8 | 22% | 23% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 5 | 14% | 7% |
| Art. 129 Burglary; unlawful entry | 4 | 11% | 4% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 4 | 11% | 9% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 3 | 8% | 6% |
High Conviction Rates on the Top Charges
Most cases charging the common articles ended in a conviction on that article. Every Article 92 case and every Article 134 case ended in a conviction on that article, 8 of 8 each. The median confinement was 3 months for Article 92 and 4 months for Article 134.
Article 112a cases ended in a conviction on that article in 10 of 11 cases (91%), with a median confinement of 3 months. Article 128 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 7 of 8 cases, with a median of 5 months. A case can include a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another, so these rows overlap.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 11 | 10 (91%) | 3 months |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 8 | 8 (8 of 8) | 3 months |
| Art. 134 General article | 8 | 8 (8 of 8) | 4 months |
| Art. 128 Assault | 8 | 7 (7 of 8) | 5 months |
Most Sentences Were Short
Of the 34 convictions, 82% included confinement. The median confinement was 4 months, lower than the median of 6 months for the year. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 11 months or longer. These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in a case.
Sentences under 6 months made up 50% of convictions, compared with 38% for 2022. Sentences from 6 months to 1 year made up 15%, compared with 25%. Sentences longer than one year came in 6 of 34 convictions (18%), about the same as the 20% for the year. Of those, 2 (6%) were 5 years or more.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 6 | 18% | 17% |
| Under 6 months | 17 | 50% | 38% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 5 | 15% | 25% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 4 | 12% | 16% |
| 5 years or more | 2 | 6% | 4% |
Court Levels
A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. General courts-martial made up 13 of the 38 cases (34%), compared with 42% for the year.
The 13 general courts-martial had a median confinement of 1.3 years, and 42% were contested. The 25 special courts-martial had a median confinement of 3 months, and 20% were contested.
Pleas and Verdicts
Pleas appear in 37 of the 38 records: 27 guilty pleas and 10 contested cases. In a contested case, the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 27%, lower than the 33% for the year.
Of the 10 contested cases that reached a verdict, 3 ended in a full acquittal (30%). 1 ended in a partial acquittal (10%), meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another. The full acquittal rate was higher than the 20% for 2022.
Punitive Discharges
A punitive discharge was part of 61% of enlisted convictions: 16 bad-conduct discharges and 4 dishonorable discharges. The share for the year was 64%. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later.
Changes Since March 2021
March 2021 had 46 cases, and March 2022 had 38. The contested share went from 36% to 27%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 6 of 16 to 3 of 10.
The median confinement went from 7 months to 4 months, and convictions with confinement went from 92% to 82%. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 64% to 61%, and general courts-martial went from 43% to 34%. In groups this small, a few cases can change a percentage, so the comparisons show direction only.
| March 2021 | March 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 46 | 38 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 36% | 27% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 6 of 16 | 3 of 10 |
| Convictions with confinement | 92% | 82% |
| Median confinement | 7 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 64% | 61% |
| General courts-martial | 43% | 34% |
Norfolk Tried the Most Cases
Norfolk, Virginia, tried 9 cases, more than any other location. Camp Pendleton, California, tried 4. Quantico, Virginia, San Diego, California, and Okinawa, Japan, tried 3 each. These five account for 58% of the month. A large installation tries more cases of every kind, so a high count does not show a problem at that base.
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 61% of the accused, and NCOs made up 39%. There were no officers. The year had about the same mix, with 65% junior enlisted.
What the Records Do Not Show
The records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences only. They do not include the evidence, plea terms, or misconduct handled outside a court-martial.
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 March 2022 (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)
- What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in February 2022 (previous / next)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, April 2022: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial in 2022: Year in Review (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.