Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, October 2017: The Month in Review
The records show 46 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in October 2017. AWOL charges under Article 86 appeared in 15% of them, compared with 8% for all of 2017.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Year › October 2017
Short answer: The records show 46 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in October 2017. AWOL charges under Article 86 appeared in 15% of them, compared with 8% for all of 2017. The median confinement was 6 months, shorter than the 8 months for the year, but punitive discharges were more common: 75% of convicted enlisted members, compared with 68%.
More AWOL Charges Than the Year
All 46 records list their charges, and a case with several articles is counted under each one. Article 86 (AWOL) appeared in 7 cases (15%), compared with 8% across the Navy and Marine Corps in 2017. Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) appeared in 9 cases (20%), compared with 16%.
The most common charges were about the same as the year. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 16 cases (35%), compared with 37%. Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) appeared in 14 cases (30%), compared with 31%. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) was less common, 15% compared with 19%. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) appeared in 7%, compared with 10%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 16 | 35% | 37% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 14 | 30% | 31% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 9 | 20% | 16% |
| Art. 134 General article | 7 | 15% | 13% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 7 | 15% | 8% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 7 | 15% | 19% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 5 | 11% | 11% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 3 | 7% | 10% |
More Punitive Discharges Than the Year
A punitive discharge was part of 75% of enlisted convictions: 22 bad-conduct discharges and 8 dishonorable discharges. The share across 2017 was 68%. The month also had 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 1 was dismissed.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later. These records do not include administrative separations.
Confinement in Almost Every Conviction
Of the 43 convictions, 93% included confinement. The median confinement was 6 months, compared with a median of 8 months for the year. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 2 years or longer. All of these are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in a case.
Sentences longer than one year came in 13 of 43 convictions (30%), about the same as the 31% for 2017. Only 3 convictions had no confinement (7%). 2 convictions were 5 years or more (5%, compared with 10%).
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 3 | 7% | 10% |
| Under 6 months | 17 | 40% | 37% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 10 | 23% | 23% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 11 | 26% | 20% |
| 5 years or more | 2 | 5% | 10% |
Convictions by Charge
All 9 cases charging Article 92 ended in a conviction on that article, with a median confinement of 3 months. Article 112a cases ended in a conviction on that article in 13 of 14 cases (93%), with a median of 6 months. Article 128 had the lowest rate among the top charges, 14 of 16 cases (88%), and the longest median confinement, 1 year.
A case can include a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another, so these rows overlap. Each median is based on the full sentence.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 16 | 14 (88%) | 1 year |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 14 | 13 (93%) | 6 months |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 9 | 9 (9 of 9) | 3 months |
More Special Than General Courts-Martial
There were 28 special courts-martial and 18 general courts-martial. The general share was 39%, lower than the 44% for 2017. A special court-martial is capped at one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence.
The general courts-martial had a median confinement of 2 years. The special courts-martial had a median confinement of 5 months.
Special courts-martial cannot impose more than one year of confinement, so every sentence longer than one year came from a general court-martial.
Most Recorded Pleas Were Guilty Pleas
Only 24 of the 46 records list a plea. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit it. Of those 24, 19 accused pleaded guilty and 5 contested at least one charge. The contested share was 21%, compared with 26% for the year. Of the 5 contested cases that reached a verdict, 1 ended in a full acquittal.
Compared With October 2016
October 2016 had 28 cases, and October 2017 had 46. The median confinement was 6 months in both months. Punitive discharges were about the same, 74% and 75%. The contested share went from 29% to 21%. Full acquittals went from 4 of 8 to 1 of 5. General courts-martial went from 54% to 39% of cases.
Monthly groups are small, and a few cases can change these figures, so they show direction rather than precise change.
| October 2016 | October 2017 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 28 | 46 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 29% | 21% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 4 of 8 | 1 of 5 |
| Convictions with confinement | 88% | 93% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 74% | 75% |
| General courts-martial | 54% | 39% |
Rank and Location
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 65% of the accused. NCOs made up 30%, and officers made up 5%. That was about the same as the year, when 66% were junior enlisted.
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, tried 6 cases. Camp Pendleton, California, and Bremerton, Washington, tried 5 each. Okinawa, Japan, tried 4, and Norfolk, Virginia, tried 3. Together these five account for 50% of the month. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
Before the 2019 Changes, and Record Limits
These trials took place 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.
The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not include nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, 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 October 2017 (46 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 September 2017 (previous / next)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, November 2017: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- The Navy-Marine Corps Court-Martial Year, 2017 (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.