What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in May 2022
The records show 40 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in May 2022. The median confinement was 9 months, compared with 6 months for all of 2022. Article 134, the general article, was charged in 29% of cases, compared with 20% across the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: The records show 40 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in May 2022. The median confinement was 9 months, compared with 6 months for all of 2022. Article 134, the general article, was charged in 29% of cases, compared with 20% across the year.
Longer Sentences Than the Year
Of the 40 cases, 35 ended in a conviction on at least one charge. Of those 35 sentences, 30 included confinement (86%). The median confinement was 9 months, longer than the 6 months for the Navy and Marine Corps in 2022. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 1.8 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences: the sentences announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers all the charges in a case.
More Sentences Over 1 Year
Sentences longer than one year came in 10 of 35 convictions (29%), more often than the 20% for the year. Sentences of more than 1 year and under 5 years made up 23% of convictions, compared with 16%. 2 convictions were 5 years or more (6%, compared with 4%).
Short sentences were less common. Sentences under 6 months made up 26%, compared with 38% for 2022. Sentences from 6 months to 1 year made up 31%, compared with 25%. 5 convictions (14%) had no confinement.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 5 | 14% | 17% |
| Under 6 months | 9 | 26% | 38% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 11 | 31% | 25% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 8 | 23% | 16% |
| 5 years or more | 2 | 6% | 4% |
More General Than Special Courts-Martial
General courts-martial, the level that can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge, made up 55% of cases (22 of 40). Special courts-martial, which cap confinement at one year, made up the other 18.
At the general courts-martial, 84% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 1.7 years. At the special courts-martial, 88% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 5 months.
The general share was also higher than in May 2021, when it was 51%. Only a general court-martial can impose more than one year of confinement. The records do not show which charge led to which sentence.
The General Article Was the Most Common Charge
Charges are listed for 38 cases, and one case can be counted under several articles. Article 134 appeared in 11 cases (29%), compared with 20% for the year. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 9 cases (24%), about the same as its 23% for the year. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 13% of cases, compared with 9%.
Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) was less common, in 16% of cases compared with 22% for 2022. Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) was also less common, 11% compared with 18%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 11 | 29% | 20% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 9 | 24% | 23% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 6 | 16% | 22% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 5 | 13% | 9% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 4 | 11% | 18% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 3 | 8% | 7% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 3 | 8% | 6% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 3 | 8% | 6% |
Every General Article Case Ended in Conviction
All 11 cases charging Article 134 ended in a conviction on that article, with a median confinement of 1.7 years. Article 128 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 7 of 9 cases, with a median confinement of 1 year. A case can include both articles, and a case can end with a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another, so these rows overlap.
Each median is based on the full sentence in the case. The 1.7 years for Article 134 is the median whole-case sentence in those cases, not a sentence for Article 134 alone.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 11 | 11 (100%) | 1.7 years |
| Art. 128 Assault | 9 | 7 (7 of 9) | 1 year |
Contested Cases and Verdicts
Pleas are recorded for 38 of the 40 cases: 22 guilty pleas and 16 not-guilty or mixed pleas. The contested share was 42%, higher than the 33% for 2022.
Of the 16 contested cases that reached a verdict, 3 ended in a full acquittal (19%). Another 4 ended in a partial acquittal (25%), meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another. The full acquittal rate was about the same as the 20% for the year.
Discharges and Rank
Of 35 convicted enlisted members, 23 received a punitive discharge: 17 bad-conduct discharges and 6 dishonorable discharges. The share for May 2022 was 66%, compared with 64% for the year. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later.
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 50% of the accused, and NCOs made up 50%. There were no officers. For the full year, junior enlisted members made up 65%, so this month's group was more senior.
Compared With May 2021
May 2021 had 47 cases, and May 2022 had 40. The contested share went from 36% to 42%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 6 of 16 to 3 of 16. The median confinement went from 8 months to 9 months. Punitive discharges went from 64% to 66%, and general courts-martial went from 51% to 55%.
A few cases can change each of these figures, so they show direction, not exact size.
| May 2021 | May 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 47 | 40 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 36% | 42% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 6 of 16 | 3 of 16 |
| Convictions with confinement | 85% | 86% |
| Median confinement | 8 months | 9 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 64% | 66% |
| General courts-martial | 51% | 55% |
Installations and Limits
Camp Pendleton, California, tried 8 cases, and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, tried 5. Jacksonville, Florida, tried 4. Pensacola, Florida, and Washington, D.C., tried 3 each. Together these five account for 58% of the month. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
The records include only cases that reached a court-martial. They do not include nonjudicial punishment or administrative separations, and they do not give offense dates, the evidence, or plea terms.
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 May 2022 (40 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)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, April 2022: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- June 2022 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 39 Cases (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.