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# What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in October 2021
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-october-2021/
- Published: 2026-10-28T08:14:25.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:10:15.000Z
- Description: The records show 38 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in October 2021. Only 1 of the 11 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (9%), compared with 26% for all of 2021.
- 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/) › October 2021

**Short answer:** The records show 38 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in October 2021\. Only 1 of the 11 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (9%), compared with 26% for all of 2021\. Punitive discharges were also less common: 50% of convicted enlisted members received one, compared with 64% for the year.

Based on 38 cases · October 2021 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Few Full Acquittals in Contested Cases

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of 11 contested cases that reached a verdict, 1 ended in a full acquittal (9%). Another 1 ended in a partial acquittal (9%), meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another. The full acquittal rate for the Navy and Marine Corps across 2021 was 26%.

Pleas are listed for 35 of the 38 cases: 24 guilty pleas and 11 contested cases. The contested share of 31% was about the same as the 32% for the year.

## Punitive Discharges for 50% of Enlisted Members

Of 32 convicted enlisted members, 16 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (50%). That was lower than the 64% for 2021\. Only 4 of those 16 were dishonorable discharges. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not dismissed.

A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation. Administrative separations are not in these records.

## Most Sentences Were Short

Of the 35 convictions, 74% included confinement. The median confinement was 5 months, compared with a median of 7 months for the year. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 6 months 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 were uncommon: 3 of 35 convictions (9%), compared with 26% for 2021\. 9 convictions had no confinement (26%), compared with 15%. Sentences under 6 months made up 43%, compared with 33%.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2021 |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| No confinement                  | 9           | 26%        | 15%                                              |
| Under 6 months                  | 15          | 43%        | 33%                                              |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 8           | 23%        | 26%                                              |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 2           | 6%         | 21%                                              |
| 5 years or more                 | 1           | 3%         | 5%                                               |

## Mostly Special Courts-Martial

Special courts-martial made up 27 of the 38 cases. General courts-martial made up only 11, or 29%, compared with 48% for the year. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence.

The general courts-martial had a median confinement of 9 months. The special courts-martial had a median of 4 months.

The month had both a low general share and short sentences. Only a general court-martial can impose more than one year of confinement, and only 3 convictions were longer than one year.

## Charges About the Same as the Year

Charges are listed for 36 of the 38 cases, and each article is counted once per case. Article 128 (assault) was the most common charge, in 12 cases (33%), compared with 32% for 2021\. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 8 cases (22%), compared with 26%. Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) appeared in 6 cases (17%), compared with 25%.

Article 107 (false official statements) appeared in 14% of cases, compared with 10%. Article 81 (conspiracy) appeared in 14%, compared with 11%. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 17%, about the same as its 19% for the year.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                       | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2021 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                                   | 12    | 33%        | 32%                                              |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article                           | 8     | 22%        | 26%                                              |
| [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 6     | 17%        | 25%                                              |
| [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault                            | 6     | 17%        | 19%                                              |
| Art. 81 Conspiracy                                                                                                                                 | 5     | 14%        | 11%                                              |
| [Art. 107](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com) False official statements                 | 5     | 14%        | 10%                                              |
| [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny                                   | 3     | 8%         | 9%                                               |
| [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child      | 3     | 8%         | 8%                                               |

## Convictions on the Top Charges

All 8 cases charging Article 134 ended in a conviction on that article, with a median confinement of 6 months. Article 128 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 11 of 12 cases (92%), with a median of 2 months. The rows overlap when a case includes both articles.

Both medians are based on the whole sentence in each case. The 2-month median for assault covers every charge in those 11 cases, not a sentence for assault alone.

| Article                  | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
| ------------------------ | ----------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| Art. 128 Assault         | 12                | 11 (92%)                | 2 months                                |
| Art. 134 General article | 8                 | 8 (8 of 8)              | 6 months                                |

## A Junior Group of Accused

Among the accused with rank recorded, 25 were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 8 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 1 was an officer or warrant officer. The group was more junior than the year, when 69% of the accused were junior enlisted.

## Compared With October 2020

October 2020 had 40 cases, and October 2021 had 38\. The median confinement went from 1 year to 5 months. Punitive discharges went from 69% to 50%, and general courts-martial went from 52% to 29% of cases. The contested share went from 50% to 31%, and full acquittals went from 3 of 10 to 1 of 11.

Monthly groups are small, so these comparisons show direction rather than precise size.

|                                     | October 2020 | October 2021 |
| ----------------------------------- | ------------ | ------------ |
| Cases                               | 40           | 38           |
| Contested (of pleas recorded)       | 50%          | 31%          |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 3 of 10      | 1 of 11      |
| Convictions with confinement        | 76%          | 74%          |
| Median confinement                  | 1 year       | 5 months     |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted)       | 69%          | 50%          |
| General courts-martial              | 52%          | 29%          |

## Installations and Record Limits

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, tried 7 cases, and Norfolk, Virginia, tried 6\. Bremerton, Washington, San Diego, California, and Jacksonville, Florida, tried 4 each. Together these five account for 66% of the month. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.

Trial records show the charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, plea terms, offense dates, 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 October 2021 (38 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, September 2021: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-september-2021/) (previous / next)
- [What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in November 2021](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-november-2021/) (previous / next)
- [How 2021 Went at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-2021-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, September 2021: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-september-2021/)Next: [What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in November 2021](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-november-2021/) →

**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.