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# What Norfolk, Virginia Tried in 2018
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/norfolk-virginia-courts-martial-2018/
- Published: 2026-10-28T06:54:51.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T05:26:27.000Z
- Description: Norfolk, Virginia tried 55 courts-martial in 2018. Only 49% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 66% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Article 120c (indecent recording and exposure) was charged in 10% of cases, compared with 4% service-wide.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Norfolk, Virginia, Navy-Marine Corps

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Norfolk, Virginia](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-norfolk-virginia/) › 2018

**Short answer:** Norfolk, Virginia tried 55 courts-martial in 2018\. Only 49% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 66% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Article 120c (indecent recording and exposure) was charged in 10% of cases, compared with 4% service-wide.

Based on 55 cases · 2018 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Fewer Convictions Included a Punitive Discharge

For enlisted members, a punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. Of 43 convicted enlisted members, 21 received one: 16 bad-conduct and 5 dishonorable. That 49% rate was much lower than the 66% in all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2018.

Of 5 convicted officers or warrant officers, 1 was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. Members sentenced without a punitive discharge could still face an administrative separation afterward.

## Confinement Was Less Common

Confinement was part of 73% of the 48 convictions. There was no confinement in 13 convictions (27%), compared with 15% across the Navy and Marine Corps. The median confinement was 7 months, the same as the service median. A quarter of sentences were 1.1 years or longer.

Sentences longer than one year were less common than elsewhere: 11 of 48 (23%), compared with 30%. Only 3 convictions (6%) had sentences of 5 years or more, compared with 9%. These are adjudged sentences, imposed at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each one covers every charge in a case.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps-wide |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | --------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 13          | 27%        | 15%                               |
| Under 6 months                  | 14          | 29%        | 32%                               |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 10          | 21%        | 23%                               |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 8           | 17%        | 20%                               |
| 5 years or more                 | 3           | 6%         | 9%                                |

## Sexual Misconduct and False Statements

Charge lists exist for 51 of 55 cases. Article 120c was charged in 5 of them (10%), compared with 4% service-wide. Article 107 (false official statement) was charged in 8: 16%, compared with 11%.

Article 128 (assault) was the most common charge, in 33% of cases, about the same as the 34% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Article 112a drug offenses were next, in 29%. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) was charged in 20%, compared with 16%. Each article counts once in a case, so a case charging several articles appears in several rows.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                       | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                                   | 17    | 33%        | 34%                                         |
| [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 15    | 29%        | 26%                                         |
| [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault                            | 10    | 20%        | 16%                                         |
| [Art. 107](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com) False official statements                 | 8     | 16%        | 11%                                         |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article                           | 8     | 16%        | 15%                                         |
| [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny                                   | 7     | 14%        | 11%                                         |
| [Art. 80](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-80/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Attempts                                    | 7     | 14%        | 12%                                         |
| [Art. 120c](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120c/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Other sexual misconduct                 | 5     | 10%        | 4%                                          |

## Guilty Pleas in Drug Cases, Contested Sexual Assault Cases

Guilty pleas were very different by charge. Cases charging Article 112a ended in a guilty plea 87% of the time (13 of 15), the most among the top charges. Article 120 cases ended in a guilty plea only 20% of the time (2 of 10). The records do not say why an accused pleaded guilty or not guilty.

Every Article 107 case ended in a conviction on that article (8 of 8). Drug cases ended in a conviction on Article 112a in 13 of 15 (87%). Assault cases ended in a conviction on Article 128 in 14 of 17 (82%). Article 120 cases ended in a conviction on that charge in 7 of 10 (70%). The median confinement was 3.8 years for an Article 120 conviction and 2.3 years for Article 128\. One case can include a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another, so the rows overlap.

| Article                                                     | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| Art. 128 Assault                                            | 17                | 14 (82%)                | 2.3 years                               |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 15                | 13 (87%)                | 6 months                                |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault                            | 10                | 7 (70%)                 | 3.8 years                               |
| Art. 107 False official statements                          | 8                 | 8 (8 of 8)              | 6 months                                |

## Contested Cases and Verdicts

Of 55 accused, 39 pleaded guilty and 16 contested at least one charge. The 29% contested share was about the same as the 28% across the Navy and Marine Corps. A contested case is one with a not-guilty or mixed plea.

All 16 contested cases reached a verdict, and 7 ended in a full acquittal (44%). That is about the same as the 46% service-wide. None ended in a partial acquittal.

## From 2017 to 2018

Cases rose from 39 to 55\. The contested share went from 32% to 29%. Full acquittals went from 5 of 12 to 7 of 16\. Median confinement fell from 10 months to 7 months. The share of convictions with confinement fell from 91% to 73%.

Punitive discharges for enlisted members fell from 59% to 49%. General courts-martial were 49% of cases in both years. Small groups can change with a few cases, so these figures show direction more than precise change.

|                                     | 2017      | 2018     |
| ----------------------------------- | --------- | -------- |
| Cases                               | 39        | 55       |
| Contested (of pleas recorded)       | 32%       | 29%      |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 5 of 12   | 7 of 16  |
| Convictions with confinement        | 91%       | 73%      |
| Median confinement                  | 10 months | 7 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted)       | 59%       | 49%      |
| General courts-martial              | 49%       | 49%      |

## Court Level and Rank

There were 27 general courts-martial, with a median confinement of 1.1 years and a 33% contested share. There were 28 special courts-martial, with a 4-month median and a 25% contested share. The general court-martial share, 49%, compares with 45% service-wide. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

The accused were 31 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 19 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 5 officers or warrant officers. That mix is more senior than the Navy and Marine Corps overall, where 61% were junior enlisted.

## Okinawa and Camp Lejeune

Okinawa, Japan (40 cases) and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (73 cases) tried a similar number of cases. Both had much higher punitive discharge rates, 79% and 87%, than the 49% at Norfolk. Camp Lejeune had the same 7-month median confinement as Norfolk. Okinawa's median was 2.5 years.

| Installation                 | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
| ---------------------------- | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- |
| Norfolk, Virginia            | 55    | 29%       | 7 of 16                             | 7 months           | 49%                           |
| Okinawa, Japan               | 40    | 0 of 1    | —                                   | 2.5 years          | 79%                           |
| Camp Lejeune, North Carolina | 73    | 0 of 1    | —                                   | 7 months           | 87%                           |

## What the Records Do Not Show

All of these trials were before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019\. The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not show the evidence, plea terms, nonjudicial punishment, or administrative separations.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/).

### How We Counted

Every court-martial tried at Norfolk, Virginia with a trial date in 2018 (55 cases).

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

- [Norfolk, Virginia: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-norfolk-virginia/) (hub)
- [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Norfolk, Virginia: 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/norfolk-virginia-courts-martial-2017/) (previous / next)
- [Norfolk, Virginia in 2019: 51 Courts-Martial, Year in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/norfolk-virginia-courts-martial-2019/) (previous / next)
- [Norfolk, Virginia, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 308 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/norfolk-virginia-courts-martial-2013-2018/) (the whole period)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2015](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2015/)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2017/)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2018/)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2020](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2020/)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

← Previous: [A Year of Courts-Martial at Norfolk, Virginia: 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/norfolk-virginia-courts-martial-2017/)Next: [Norfolk, Virginia in 2019: 51 Courts-Martial, Year in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/norfolk-virginia-courts-martial-2019/) →

**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.