> ## 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. # Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, May 2018: The Month in Review - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-may-2018/ - Published: 2026-10-28T08:13:42.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:09:31.000Z - Description: The records show 54 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in May 2018. Long sentences were more common than across the year: 7 of 49 convictions (14%) were 5 years or more, compared with 9% for all of 2018, and 1 sentence was life. - 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/) › May 2018 **Short answer:** The records show 54 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in May 2018\. Long sentences were more common than across the year: 7 of 49 convictions (14%) were 5 years or more, compared with 9% for all of 2018, and 1 sentence was life. The median confinement was 8 months, about the same as the 7 months for the year. Based on 54 cases · May 2018 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## More Long Sentences Of 49 convictions, 39 included confinement. The median confinement was 8 months, about the same as the 7 months for the Navy and Marine Corps across 2018\. Long sentences were more common than across the year. Sentences of 5 years or more made up 14% of convictions, and 1 was confinement for life. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 3 years or longer. Sentences longer than one year came in 17 of 49 convictions (35%), more often than the 30% for the year. All of these are adjudged sentences. They were announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in its case. ## Short Sentences and No Confinement 10 convictions (20%) had no confinement, compared with 15% for the year. Sentences under 6 months made up 27%, compared with 32%. Sentences from 6 months to 1 year made up 18%, compared with 23%. Sentences of more than 1 year and under 5 years made up 20%, the same as the year. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2018 | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------ | | No confinement | 10 | 20% | 15% | | Under 6 months | 13 | 27% | 32% | | 6 months to 1 year | 9 | 18% | 23% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 10 | 20% | 20% | | 5 years or more | 7 | 14% | 9% | ## Which Courts Imposed the Long Sentences Only a general court-martial can impose more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is limited to one year of confinement and a bad-conduct discharge. General courts-martial made up 43% of the month (23 of 54). The 23 general courts-martial had a median confinement of 2.8 years. The 31 special courts-martial had a median confinement of 5 months. ## Assault, Conspiracy, and Orders Charges The records list charges for 50 of the 54 cases, with a separate row for each article in a case. Article 128 (assault) was the most common charge, in 18 cases (36%), compared with 34% for the year. Article 81 (conspiracy) appeared in 7 cases (14%), compared with 9%. Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) appeared in 9 cases (18%), compared with 13%. Drug charges were less common. Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) appeared in 11 cases (22%), compared with 26%. Article 134 (general article), Article 80 (attempts), and Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 14% of cases each. Article 121 (larceny) appeared in 12%. | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2018 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------ | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 18 | 36% | 34% | | [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 11 | 22% | 26% | | [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 9 | 18% | 13% | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 7 | 14% | 15% | | [Art. 80](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-80/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Attempts | 7 | 14% | 12% | | [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault | 7 | 14% | 16% | | Art. 81 Conspiracy | 7 | 14% | 9% | | [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny | 6 | 12% | 11% | ## Convictions on the Top Articles Every Article 92 case ended in a conviction on that article (9 of 9), with a median confinement of 8 months. Article 112a cases ended in a conviction on that article in 10 of 11 cases (91%), with a median of 6 months. Article 128 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 16 of 18 cases (89%). Those convictions had a median confinement of 2 years. 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. 128 Assault | 18 | 16 (89%) | 2 years | | Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 11 | 10 (91%) | 6 months | | Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 9 | 9 (9 of 9) | 8 months | ## Discharges and Dismissals Punitive discharges went to 29 of 45 convicted enlisted members, compared with a 66% share across 2018\. Of those 29, 20 were bad-conduct discharges and 9 were dishonorable discharges. The records show 4 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 1 was dismissed, which is the officer form of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later. ## Pleas and the Year Before Just 21 of the 54 records list a plea, because Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often leave it out. The 21 recorded pleas were 14 guilty pleas and 7 contested pleas, a contested share of 33%. For the year, the contested share was 28%. May 2017 had 50 cases. From May 2017 to May 2018, the contested share went from 17% to 33%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 1 of 4 to 4 of 7\. The median confinement went from 6 months to 8 months, convictions with confinement from 91% to 80%, and punitive discharges for enlisted members from 58% to 64%. General courts-martial went from 42% to 43%. In groups of this size a handful of cases moves the numbers, so these are directions only. | | May 2017 | May 2018 | | ----------------------------------- | -------- | -------- | | Cases | 50 | 54 | | Contested (of pleas recorded) | 17% | 33% | | Full acquittals (decided contested) | 1 of 4 | 4 of 7 | | Convictions with confinement | 91% | 80% | | Median confinement | 6 months | 8 months | | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 58% | 64% | | General courts-martial | 42% | 43% | ## Rank and Location Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 55% of the accused. NCOs made up 38%, and officers made up 8%. The group was more senior than the year, when 61% were junior enlisted. Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, tried 10 cases, and Camp Pendleton, California, tried 8\. Okinawa, Japan, and Norfolk, Virginia, tried 6 each, and Quantico, Virginia, tried 4\. These five account for 63% of the month. Larger installations try more cases of every kind. ## Before the 2019 Changes These trials took place before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019\. Its fixed panel sizes, judge-alone special courts-martial, and written plea agreements did not apply. The records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial. 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 May 2018 (54 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) - [April 2018 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 43 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-april-2018/) (previous / next) - [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, June 2018: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-june-2018/) (previous / next) - [The Navy-Marine Corps Court-Martial Year, 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-2018-year-in-review/) (the whole year) - [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: [April 2018 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 43 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-april-2018/)Next: [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, June 2018: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-june-2018/) → **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.