> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The Numbers Behind S3 E52: What Happens at a Court-Martial When the Only Charge Is Drugs? - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/numbers-behind-s3e52-drug-only-courts-martial/ - Published: 2026-10-28T06:50:33.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:04:30.000Z - Description: There were 366 Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps courts-martial from 2021–2025 in which Article 112a (drugs) was the only charge. The median confinement after a conviction was 2 months, compared with 6 months across all cases in those years. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Article 112a [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Episode Companions](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/episode-companions/) › S3 E52 **Short answer:** There were 366 Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps courts-martial from 2021–2025 in which Article 112a (drugs) was the only charge. The median confinement after a conviction was 2 months, compared with 6 months across all cases in those years. Punitive discharges followed 47% of enlisted convictions, compared with 65%. Of contested cases that reached a verdict, 49% ended in a full acquittal, compared with 37%. Based on 366 cases · 2021–2025 · Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Short Sentences When Drugs Are the Only Charge The podcast episode S3 E52, What You Need to Know About Positive UAs in the Military, discusses drug cases. This page covers what the trial records show once a case charging only Article 112a reaches a courtroom. Of 320 convictions, 84% included confinement, but the sentences were short. The median was 2 months, compared with 6 months for all courts-martial in the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps records for those years. A quarter of sentences were 5 months or longer. These are adjudged sentences, recorded at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. ## Almost No Sentences Longer Than One Year Sentences longer than one year were adjudged in 10 of 320 convictions (3%), compared with 25% in all cases. Sentences under 6 months made up 66% of drug-only convictions, compared with 39% overall. Only 1 conviction had a sentence of 5 years or more. There was no confinement in 16% of convictions, about the same as the 18% for all cases. Sentences of 6 months to 1 year made up 15%, compared with 18%. The differences are mainly in the short and long sentences. The table compares each sentence range with all cases for 2021–2025. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps cases in those years | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | No confinement | 52 | 16% | 18% | | Under 6 months | 211 | 66% | 39% | | 6 months to 1 year | 47 | 15% | 18% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 9 | 3% | 18% | | 5 years or more | 1 | 0% | 7% | ## Most Cases Were Special Courts-Martial A special court-martial cannot adjudge more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. Of these cases, 317 were tried at a special court-martial and 48 at a general court-martial. The level is not listed for 1. That general court-martial share of 13% is much lower than the 59% for all cases. The 48 general courts-martial had a median confinement of 7 months, and 21% were contested. The special courts-martial had a median of 2 months, and 24% were contested. ## Punitive Discharges After a Drug-Only Conviction Of 305 enlisted members convicted, 143 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (47%), compared with 65% across all cases in those years. Only 1 of those discharges was dishonorable. The records list 11 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 5 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not prevent a later administrative separation, which these trial records do not cover. ## Guilty Pleas and Contested Cases A contested case is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of the 351 records that list a plea, 269 show a guilty plea and 82 show a contested case. That contested share of 23% is lower than the 35% for all cases in those years. Contested drug-only cases often ended in a full acquittal. Of 82 contested cases that reached a verdict, 49% ended in a full acquittal, compared with 37% for all cases. Partial acquittals, where the accused is acquitted of one charge or specification but convicted of another, were uncommon: 5 cases. ## Rank of the Accused The accused were 249 junior enlisted members, 94 NCOs, and 15 officers. That is a more junior group than all cases across the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. Junior enlisted members, in the lowest enlisted pay grades, made up most of the accused here. Officers were a small part of this group. The 15 officers show that drug-only courts-martial also include higher ranks. For officers, a dismissal is the equivalent of a punitive discharge. ## Where and When Camp Pendleton, California, tried 23 of these cases. Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, tried 20, Bremerton, Washington, 18, San Diego, California, 14, and Norfolk, Virginia, 10\. Those 5 locations account for 23% of the 366 cases, so the cases were tried at many locations. Larger installations try more cases of every kind. By year, there were 103 cases in 2021, 92 in 2022, 52 in 2023, 75 in 2024, and 44 in 2025. ## Law Changes During These Years Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute certain covered offenses. For cases where every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new parameters. Both changes depend on the offense date, and the records do not give it. Trials from 2024 on can include cases under both the old and new rules. ## What the Records Do Not Show The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or any plea terms. They include only courts-martial, so positive tests handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation do not appear here. For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 112a on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com). Dates and sources for the law changes: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps courts-martial tried 2021–2025 whose only charge was Article 112a. 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 - [Episode Companions](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/episode-companions/) (hub) - [Army Article 112a Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-112a-trend-2021-2025/) - [Are Air Force Drug Courts-Martial Disappearing? Article 112a, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-112a-trend-2016-2025/) - [Is Navy-Marine Corps Drug Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 112a, 2017–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-112a-trend-2017-2025/) - [S3 E52: What You Need to Know About Positive UAs in the Military](https://www.bodiesburied.com/s3e52-what-you-need-to-know-about-positive-uas-in-the-military/) (podcast, members) - [Article 112a explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/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](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.