Article 112a at Norfolk, Virginia Before and After 2019
Norfolk, Virginia tried 51 courts-martial charging Article 112a, wrongful drug use or possession, from 2019–2023. Of 11 contested cases that reached a verdict, 5 ended in a full acquittal (45%), compared with 27% in Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases overall.
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Short answer: Norfolk, Virginia tried 51 courts-martial charging Article 112a, wrongful drug use or possession, from 2019–2023. Of 11 contested cases that reached a verdict, 5 ended in a full acquittal (45%), compared with 27% in Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases overall. The median confinement was 4 months, about the same as the 5 months service-wide.
Contested Drug Cases and Full Acquittals
A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least 1 charge. At Norfolk, 11 contested drug cases reached a verdict. Of those, 5 ended in a full acquittal (45%) and 3 in a partial acquittal (27%), meaning not guilty of at least 1 charge or specification but guilty of another. The full-acquittal rate is higher than the 27% across Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases in 2019–2023.
The full-acquittal rate was also high in the earlier period. In 2013–2018, 8 of 11 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. There were only 11 contested cases in each period, so a single verdict changes these figures.
Drug Charges and Absence Offenses
In 35 of the 51 cases, at least 1 other article was charged with Article 112a. The most common was Article 81, conspiracy, in 12 cases. Next were absence offenses: Article 85 (desertion) in 9, Article 86 (AWOL) in 8, and Article 87 (missing movement) in 6. Article 82, solicitation, was charged in 4.
A sentence covers every charge in its case. Confinement in these cases may include punishment for desertion or missing movement as well as the drug offense.
Pleas in the Records
Of the 50 records that list a plea, 39 show a guilty plea and 11 show a contested case. The contested share was 22%, compared with 20% across Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases. Drug cases at Norfolk were contested about as often as across the service.
Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea, so these counts use only the records that list it. The records also do not give the terms of any plea agreement.
How Long Were Sentences?
There were 46 cases with a conviction on at least 1 charge, and 38 of those sentences included confinement (83%). The median confinement was 4 months, compared with 5 months service-wide. A quarter of sentences were 9 months or longer.
Short sentences were more common than service-wide. Sentences under 6 months made up 24 convictions (52%), compared with 45%. There was no confinement in 8 convictions (17%), compared with 11%. Sentences of 6 months to 1 year made up 9 convictions (20%), compared with 27%. Sentences longer than one year were adjudged in 5 of 46 convictions (11%), and all were under 5 years. Service-wide, sentences of more than 1 year and under 5 years made up 15%. No conviction had a sentence of 5 years or more. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 8 | 17% | 11% |
| Under 6 months | 24 | 52% | 45% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 9 | 20% | 27% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 5 | 11% | 15% |
| 5 years or more | 0 | 0% | 1% |
Punitive Discharges at the Service Rate
A punitive discharge followed 64% of enlisted convictions, the same as the 64% across Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases. Almost all were bad-conduct discharges: 27 bad-conduct and 1 dishonorable. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Court Level and Rank
Special courts-martial heard 42 of the cases, and general courts-martial heard 9. The general court-martial share of 18% compares with 24% in Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence.
By rank, the accused were 35 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 14 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 1 officer or warrant officer. That mix is more senior than the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole, where 79% were junior enlisted.
2013–2018 Compared With 2019–2023
The number of drug cases at Norfolk was about the same in both periods: 52 in 2013–2018, about 9 a year, compared with about 10 a year since, counting full years only. The contested share went from 21% to 22%. The general court-martial share went from 19% to 18%. Punitive discharges went from 63% to 64%.
Confinement changed more. Median confinement went from 6 months to 4 months. The share of convictions with any confinement fell from 93% to 83%. Small groups change with a few cases, so these figures show direction, not precise changes.
| 2013–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 52 | 51 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 21% | 22% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 8 of 11 | 5 of 11 |
| Convictions with confinement | 93% | 83% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 63% | 64% |
| General courts-martial | 19% | 18% |
Cases by Year and What Is Missing
The trials took place from January 2019 to August 2023: 9 in 2019, 12 in 2020, 15 in 2021, 13 in 2022, and 2 in 2023. These drug cases make up 25% of the 205 courts-martial at Norfolk in those years.
The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or plea terms. Cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation are not included.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 112a on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Courts-martial tried at Norfolk, Virginia that charged Article 112a (found guilty, not guilty, or both): 2013–2018 (52) and 2019–2023 (51). Comparisons use every Navy and Marine Corps case charging Article 112a in 2019–2023.
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
- Norfolk, Virginia: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Article 112a (Wrongful Use, Possession of Controlled Substances): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Norfolk, Virginia, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 308 Cases (the whole docket)
- What Was Tried at Norfolk, Virginia, 2019–2023? 205 Courts-Martial (the whole docket)
- What Was Tried at Norfolk, Virginia, 2024–2026? 77 Courts-Martial (the whole docket)
- Drug Cases at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina: 2017–2018 vs. 2019–2023 (same offense, another installation)
- Article 112a at Camp Pendleton, California Before and After 2019 (same offense, another installation)
- Is Navy-Marine Corps Drug Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 112a, 2017–2025
- S3 E52: What You Need to Know About Positive UAs in the Military (podcast, members)
- Article 112a explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Article 112a Cases at Norfolk, Virginia, 2019–2023
Names and links only. Each judge's record of pleas, findings, and sentences is on their Know Your Judge page, part of the Court-Martial Characters membership.
Compare: federal court. Federal Law Has No Crime of Drug Use: How Article 112a Cases Compare · Drug Distribution and Importation: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences, 2016–2025
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.