September 2022 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 26 Cases
The median confinement in the 26 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial of September 2022 was 10 months, compared with 6 months for all of 2022. Article 134, the general article, was charged in 36% of cases, compared with 20% for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Year › September 2022
Short answer: The median confinement in the 26 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial of September 2022 was 10 months, compared with 6 months for all of 2022. Article 134, the general article, was charged in 36% of cases, compared with 20% for the year.
A Longer Median Than the Year
Of the 26 cases, 22 ended in a conviction on at least one charge. Confinement was part of 17 of those sentences (77%). The median confinement was 10 months. Across the Navy and Marine Corps in 2022, it was 6 months. A quarter of the sentences were 2 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences: what the court imposed at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge on which the accused was convicted.
More Sentences Over One Year
Sentences longer than one year were adjudged in 7 of 22 convictions (32%), compared with 20% for the year. Of those, 6 convictions (27%) were more than 1 year and under 5 years, compared with 16% for the year. Another 1 conviction (5%) was 5 years or more, compared with 4%.
At the other end, 5 convictions (23%) had no confinement, compared with 17% for 2022. Sentences under 6 months were less common than usual: 27%, compared with 38%. More of the month's sentences were at the short and long ends of the range, and fewer were in the middle.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 5 | 23% | 17% |
| Under 6 months | 6 | 27% | 38% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 4 | 18% | 25% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 6 | 27% | 16% |
| 5 years or more | 1 | 5% | 4% |
Sentences by Court Level
A special court-martial cannot adjudge more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge. Only a general court-martial can. Since 2019, a special court-martial tried by a military judge alone is capped at six months of confinement with no punitive discharge.
General courts-martial made up 12 of the 26 cases (46%). Their median confinement was 2 years. The 14 special courts-martial had a median of 3 months. General courts-martial were also a larger share of cases than in September 2021.
Article 134 Was the Most Common Charge
Charges are listed for 25 of the 26 cases, with each article counted once per case. Article 134 was charged in 9 cases (36%), compared with 20% for the year. It was the most common article this month.
Assault under Article 128 was charged in 4 cases (16%), compared with 23% for 2022. Drug charges under Article 112a were in 2 cases (8%), compared with 22%. Article 92, failure to obey an order or regulation, was charged in 4 cases (16%), about the same as the 18% for the year.
4 articles were each charged in 2 cases (8%): larceny under Article 121, AWOL under Article 86, Article 90 for willfully disobeying a superior officer, and Article 120 for rape and sexual assault.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 9 | 36% | 20% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 4 | 16% | 18% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 4 | 16% | 23% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 2 | 8% | 22% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 2 | 8% | 7% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 2 | 8% | 6% |
| Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer | 2 | 8% | 4% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 2 | 8% | 9% |
How Many Pleaded Guilty?
A plea is recorded in 23 of the 26 cases. Of those, 16 accused pleaded guilty and 7 entered a not-guilty or mixed plea, which makes a case contested. The contested share was 30%, about the same as the 33% for the Navy and Marine Corps in 2022.
Of the 7 contested cases that reached a verdict, 3 ended in a full acquittal. In September 2021, the figure was 1 of 8.
Punitive Discharges About the Same as the Year
A punitive discharge followed 62% of enlisted convictions, compared with 64% for the year. The month had 7 bad-conduct discharges and 6 dishonorable discharges.
A dishonorable discharge is available only at a general court-martial. A sentence with no punitive discharge can still be followed by an administrative separation.
September 2021 Compared With September 2022
Cases fell from 34 to 26. Median confinement rose from 6 months to 10 months. The general court-martial share rose from 38% to 46%. The contested share went from 26% to 30%.
Enlisted punitive discharges were about the same, at 61% and 62%. Convictions with confinement fell from 81% to 77%. Monthly groups this small change with a few cases, so these changes show direction only.
| September 2021 | September 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 34 | 26 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 26% | 30% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 1 of 8 | 3 of 7 |
| Convictions with confinement | 81% | 77% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 10 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 61% | 62% |
| General courts-martial | 38% | 46% |
Rank and Location
Among the accused with rank recorded, 14 were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4) and 10 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9). None were officers or warrant officers. Junior enlisted members made up 65% of the accused for the year, so this month was more senior.
Camp Pendleton, California, tried 5 cases, and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, tried 4. MCAS Miramar, California, San Diego, California, and Norfolk, Virginia, each tried 3. These 5 locations account for 69% of the month. Their counts mostly reflect their size.
What the Records Do Not Show
The records list trial dates, not offense dates. They do not show the evidence or plea terms. Misconduct handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation is not included.
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 September 2022 (26 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, August 2022: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- October 2022 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 37 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.