October 2019 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 52 Cases
The records show 52 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in October 2019. The median confinement was 1 year, compared with 6 months for all of 2019. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 19% of cases, compared with 14% for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Year › October 2019
Short answer: The records show 52 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in October 2019. The median confinement was 1 year, compared with 6 months for all of 2019. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 19% of cases, compared with 14% for the year.
A Median Sentence of 1 Year
Of 47 convictions, 36 included confinement. The median confinement was 1 year, longer than the 6 months for the Navy and Marine Corps in 2019. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 2.2 years or longer. 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 16 of 47 convictions (34%), more often than the 24% for the year. Sentences of more than 1 year and under 5 years made up 28% of convictions, compared with 19%.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 11 | 23% | 18% |
| Under 6 months | 12 | 26% | 35% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 8 | 17% | 23% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 13 | 28% | 19% |
| 5 years or more | 3 | 6% | 5% |
More Convictions Without Confinement
The median sentence was longer, but more convictions also had no confinement. 11 convictions (23%) had no confinement, compared with 18% for the year. Convictions with confinement made up 77%. Sentences under 6 months made up 26%, compared with 35%.
Compared with the year as a whole, the month had more convictions with no confinement and more with sentences over 1 year.
Sexual Assault and Orders Charges Were More Common
Charges are listed for 47 of the 52 records, and each article is counted once per case. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 9 cases (19%), compared with 14% for 2019. Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) appeared in 10 cases (21%), compared with 17%.
Article 128 (assault) was the most common charge, in 18 cases (38%), compared with 34%. Article 80 (attempts) appeared in 15% of cases, compared with 10%. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) appeared in 13%, compared with 8%. Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) appeared in 28%, about the same as the 30% for the year.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 18 | 38% | 34% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 13 | 28% | 30% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 10 | 21% | 17% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 9 | 19% | 14% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 7 | 15% | 10% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 6 | 13% | 8% |
| Art. 81 Conspiracy | 4 | 9% | 7% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 3 | 6% | 11% |
Conviction Rates and Sentences by Charge
Article 112a cases ended in a conviction on that article in 12 of 13 cases (92%), with a median confinement of 8 months. Article 92 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 9 of 10 cases (90%), also with a median of 8 months. Article 128 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 15 of 18 cases (83%), with a median of 1.5 years.
Article 120 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 7 of 9 cases, the lowest rate among the top charges. Those convictions had the longest median confinement, 2.2 years. A case can include several of these articles, so the rows overlap.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 18 | 15 (83%) | 1.5 years |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 13 | 12 (92%) | 8 months |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 10 | 9 (90%) | 8 months |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 9 | 7 (7 of 9) | 2.2 years |
More General Courts-Martial
General courts-martial made up 28 of the 52 cases (54%), compared with 43% for 2019. Only a general court-martial can impose more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is capped at one year.
At the general courts-martial, the median confinement was 2 years, and 50% of cases with a recorded plea were contested. At the 24 special courts-martial, the median was 3 months, and 20% were contested.
Both the general share and the median sentence were higher than the year. The records cannot show whether one affected the other.
Pleas and Acquittals
Only 20 of the 52 records include a plea. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit it. Of those 20, 13 were guilty pleas and 7 were contested. The contested share was 35%, compared with 28% for the year. Of the 7 contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 ended in a full acquittal.
Punitive Discharges Slightly Lower Than the Year
Of 44 convicted enlisted members, 25 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (57%), slightly lower than the 60% for 2019. Of those 25, 9 were dishonorable discharges. The 3 convicted officers or warrant officers this month were not dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later.
Among the accused with rank recorded, 27 were junior enlisted, 19 were NCOs, and 3 were officers. That mix was similar to the year.
Compared With October 2018
October 2018 had 42 cases, and October 2019 had 52. The median confinement went from 7 months to 1 year, and the contested share went from 15% to 35%. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 76% to 57%, and convictions with confinement went from 88% to 77%. General courts-martial went from 52% to 54%.
These are small groups, so the comparisons show direction, not precise change.
| October 2018 | October 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 42 | 52 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 15% | 35% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 2 of 4 | 2 of 7 |
| Convictions with confinement | 88% | 77% |
| Median confinement | 7 months | 1 year |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 76% | 57% |
| General courts-martial | 52% | 54% |
Installations and Record Limits
Camp Pendleton, California, and Bremerton, Washington, tried 7 cases each. Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, tried 6, Okinawa, Japan, tried 5, and Twentynine Palms, California, tried 4. Together these five account for 56% of the month. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
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 2019 (52 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 2019 (previous / next)
- November 2019 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 42 Cases (previous / next)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial in 2019: 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.