> ## 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, November 2017: The Month in Review - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-november-2017/ - Published: 2026-10-28T08:13:35.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:09:24.000Z - Description: The records show 46 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in November 2017. Drug charges under Article 112a appeared in 40% of them, compared with 31% for all of 2017. Contested cases were also more common: 35% of cases with a recorded plea, compared with 26% 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/) › November 2017 **Short answer:** The records show 46 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in November 2017\. Drug charges under Article 112a appeared in 40% of them, compared with 31% for all of 2017\. Contested cases were also more common: 35% of cases with a recorded plea, compared with 26% for the year. Based on 46 cases · November 2017 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Drug Charges Were the Most Common Charges are listed for 45 of the 46 cases, and a case with several articles is counted under each one. Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) appeared in 18 cases (40%), the largest group, compared with 31% for the year. Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) appeared in 10 cases (22%), compared with 16%. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 36% of cases, about the same as its 37% for the year. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 22%, compared with 19%. Article 81 (conspiracy) appeared in 13%, compared with 8%. Article 134 (general article) was less common, 9% compared with 13%. | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2017 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------ | | [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 18 | 40% | 31% | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 16 | 36% | 37% | | [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault | 10 | 22% | 19% | | [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 10 | 22% | 16% | | [Art. 107](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com) False official statements | 6 | 13% | 11% | | Art. 81 Conspiracy | 6 | 13% | 8% | | [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny | 4 | 9% | 9% | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 4 | 9% | 13% | ## Sexual Assault Charges Ended in Conviction Less Often Drug cases ended in a conviction on Article 112a in 17 of 18 cases (94%), with a median confinement of 7 months. Article 92 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 9 of 10 cases (90%). Article 128 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 14 of 16 cases (88%). Article 120 had the lowest rate. Of 10 cases charging it, 7 ended in a conviction on that article (70%), and those convictions had a median confinement of 1.7 years. A case can include an acquittal on one charge and a conviction on another, so the rows overlap. | Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it | | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- | | Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 18 | 17 (94%) | 7 months | | Art. 128 Assault | 16 | 14 (88%) | 6 months | | Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 10 | 7 (70%) | 1.7 years | | Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 10 | 9 (90%) | 9 months | ## More Contested Cases Only 23 of the 46 records list a plea, because Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit it. Of those 23, 15 accused pleaded guilty and 8 contested with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share of 35% was higher than the 26% for 2017. The comparison table shows that 5 of the 8 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. ## More General Courts-Martial Than the Year General courts-martial made up 59% of the month (27 cases), compared with 44% for the year. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is limited to one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. The median confinement was 1.5 years at the general courts-martial and 3 months at the 19 special courts-martial. The general courts-martial were also contested more often, 42% compared with 27%. ## More Sentences Over 1 Year Of 40 convictions, 37 included confinement. The median confinement was 8 months, the same as for the Navy and Marine Corps across 2017\. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 1.7 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case. Sentences longer than one year came in 15 of 40 convictions (38%), more often than the 31% for the year. Sentences of more than 1 year and under 5 years made up 30% of convictions, compared with 20%. 3 convictions were 5 years or more. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2017 | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------ | | No confinement | 3 | 8% | 10% | | Under 6 months | 15 | 38% | 37% | | 6 months to 1 year | 7 | 18% | 23% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 12 | 30% | 20% | | 5 years or more | 3 | 8% | 10% | ## Punitive Discharges for 25 Enlisted Members Of 39 convicted enlisted members, 25 received a punitive discharge: 15 bad-conduct discharges and 10 dishonorable discharges. The comparison table shows that share as 64%, compared with 68% for the year. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later. ## Compared With November 2016 November 2016 had 21 cases, and November 2017 had 46\. Most other measures were about the same. The contested share went from 33% to 35%, and the median confinement went from 9 months to 8 months. Punitive discharges went from 60% to 64%, and general courts-martial went from 57% to 59%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 4 of 7 to 5 of 8. Small groups can change with a few cases, so these comparisons show direction rather than precise change. | | November 2016 | November 2017 | | ----------------------------------- | ------------- | ------------- | | Cases | 21 | 46 | | Contested (of pleas recorded) | 33% | 35% | | Full acquittals (decided contested) | 4 of 7 | 5 of 8 | | Convictions with confinement | 94% | 92% | | Median confinement | 9 months | 8 months | | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 60% | 64% | | General courts-martial | 57% | 59% | ## Rank, Location, and the Law at the Time Among the accused with rank recorded, 30 were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 14 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 1 was an officer or warrant officer. That mix was similar to the year, when 66% were junior enlisted. Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, tried 7 cases. San Diego, California, and Bremerton, Washington, tried 5 each. Camp Pendleton, California, tried 4, and Norfolk, Virginia, tried 3\. These locations account for 52% of the cases. These trials came before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019\. Later changes, such as fixed panel sizes, judge-alone special courts-martial, and written plea agreements, did not apply to these cases. ## Beyond the Court-Martial Records The data cover only cases that reached a court-martial. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, offense dates, the evidence, and plea terms are not included. 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 November 2017 (46 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) - [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, October 2017: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-october-2017/) (previous / next) - [What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in December 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-december-2017/) (previous / next) - [The Navy-Marine Corps Court-Martial Year, 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-2017-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: [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, October 2017: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-october-2017/)Next: [What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in December 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-december-2017/) → **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.