What Norfolk, Virginia Tried in 2020
Norfolk, Virginia held 29 courts-martial in 2020, compared with 51 the year before. Drug charges under Article 112a were in 43% of cases, compared with 30% across the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › Norfolk, Virginia › 2020
Short answer: Norfolk, Virginia held 29 courts-martial in 2020, compared with 51 the year before. Drug charges under Article 112a were in 43% of cases, compared with 30% across the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. The median confinement after a conviction was 8 months, compared with 6 months service-wide.
Drug Cases Were a Larger Share
Charge lists exist for 28 of 29 cases. Article 112a (wrongful use or possession of controlled substances) was charged in 12 of them (43%), compared with 30% across the Navy and Marine Corps in 2020. Assault under Article 128 was next, in 10 cases. Its share, 36%, was the same as the service share.
Several less common charges were above service rates. Article 81 (conspiracy) was charged in 4 cases: 14%, compared with 7%. Article 131b (obstructing justice, numbered since 2019) and Article 86 (AWOL) were each charged in 3 cases: 11%, compared with 7%. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) was charged in 4 cases. Each article counts once per case.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps-wide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 12 | 43% | 30% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 10 | 36% | 36% |
| Art. 81 Conspiracy | 4 | 14% | 7% |
| Art. 134 General article | 4 | 14% | 13% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 4 | 14% | 16% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 3 | 11% | 7% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 3 | 11% | 12% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 3 | 11% | 7% |
Most Drug Cases Ended in a Guilty Plea
Cases charging Article 112a ended in a guilty plea 83% of the time (10 of 12), the most among the top charges. They ended in a conviction on that article in 11 of 12 (92%). The median confinement for a drug conviction was 7 months.
Assault cases were contested more often. Cases charging Article 128 ended in a guilty plea 50% of the time (5 of 10). Of those 10 cases, 7 (70%) ended in a conviction on the assault charge, with a median of 1.4 years. These rows overlap, since a case can include a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another. The records do not say why an accused pleaded guilty or not guilty.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 12 | 11 (92%) | 7 months |
| Art. 128 Assault | 10 | 7 (70%) | 1.4 years |
Pleas and Contested Verdicts
Of 29 accused, 20 pleaded guilty and 9 contested at least one charge with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The 31% contested share was about the same as the 30% across the Navy and Marine Corps.
Of the 9 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal.
Length of Sentences
There were 25 cases that ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 22 of those sentences included confinement (88%). The median confinement was 8 months. A quarter of sentences were 2 years or longer.
Sentences longer than one year were adjudged in 8 of 25 convictions (32%), more often than the 26% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Sentences under 6 months made up 36%, the same as the service. There was no confinement in 3 convictions (12%), compared with 15%. Another 2 convictions (8%) had sentences of 5 years or more, compared with 6%. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in a case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the whole Navy and Marine Corps docket |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 3 | 12% | 15% |
| Under 6 months | 9 | 36% | 36% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 5 | 20% | 23% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 6 | 24% | 20% |
| 5 years or more | 2 | 8% | 6% |
Results by Court Level
General courts-martial made up 15 of 29 cases (52%). A general court-martial can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. Here, 100% of general court-martial convictions included confinement, with a median of 1.8 years.
The 14 special courts-martial are capped at one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. They included confinement in 77% of convictions, with a 4-month median.
More Punitive Discharges
Of 25 convicted enlisted members, 18 received a punitive discharge: 13 bad-conduct and 5 dishonorable. That 72% rate compares with 62% across the Navy and Marine Corps. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
All 29 accused were enlisted: 18 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) and 11 NCOs (E-5 to E-9). That mix is similar to the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole, where 64% were junior enlisted.
Changes From 2019
Cases fell from 51 to 29. The contested share fell from 43% to 31%. Full acquittals went from 9 of 21 to 4 of 9. Median confinement rose from 6 months to 8 months.
Punitive discharges for enlisted members rose from 55% to 72%. General courts-martial fell from 59% to 52% of cases. With small numbers, a few cases can change these figures, so they show direction, not precision.
| 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 51 | 29 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 43% | 31% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 9 of 21 | 4 of 9 |
| Convictions with confinement | 85% | 88% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 8 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 55% | 72% |
| General courts-martial | 59% | 52% |
Comparable Installations and Missing Information
San Diego, California (27 cases) and Okinawa, Japan (23 cases) tried a similar number of cases. At San Diego, 15% of cases were contested, the median confinement was 6 months, and the punitive discharge rate was 48%. Okinawa had a 4-month median and a 62% rate. Norfolk had a longer median confinement and a higher punitive discharge rate than both. Its contested share was also higher than San Diego's.
The records show only cases that reached a courtroom. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea. None of the records describe the evidence, plea terms, offense dates, or matters handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk, Virginia | 29 | 31% | 4 of 9 | 8 months | 72% |
| San Diego, California | 27 | 15% | 2 of 4 | 6 months | 48% |
| Okinawa, Japan | 23 | — | — | 4 months | 62% |
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Norfolk, Virginia with a trial date in 2020 (29 cases).
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)
- By Year (hub)
- Norfolk, Virginia in 2019: 51 Courts-Martial, Year in Review (previous / next)
- What Norfolk, Virginia Tried in 2021 (previous / next)
- What Was Tried at Norfolk, Virginia, 2019–2023? 205 Courts-Martial (the whole period)
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2015
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2017
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2018
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2020
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Norfolk, Virginia, 2020
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.
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.