Military Trial Results · Analysis
Understanding Trends in Military Practice
Analysis of real court-martial records: what gets charged, how cases end, what sentences look like, how experienced the lawyers of record were, and what changed when the law did.
Every number is computed from the Military Trial Results data, built from the services' public court-martial records. Each post says how many cases it rests on, the years covered, and how we counted. Read how this data was built before citing it.
Browse the Analysis
- By InstallationBases and regions, by time period
- By OffenseUCMJ articles, rising and falling charges
- By ServiceArmy, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps
- By YearWhat each year and month looked like
- SentencesConfinement, discharges, judge alone vs. members
- Counsel ExperiencePrior cases of the lawyers of record
- Law ChangesBefore and after the major reforms
- Episode CompanionsThe numbers behind podcast episodes
Federal Prosecution Analysis
How do federal prosecutions compare with courts-martial? These posts use the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of everyone sentenced in federal court and the Federal Judicial Center's records of every federal defendant whose case ended, including dismissals and acquittals, for fiscal years 2016 to 2025. They cover sentences, guilty pleas, trials and acquittals, mandatory minimums, and supervised release, offense by offense. Where a federal crime has a close counterpart in the UCMJ, the post sets the two side by side. Where it doesn't, the post reports the federal numbers on their own. For how military law has moved toward the federal system, start with Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System.
Latest Analysis
§2N2.1 Violations of Statutes and Regulations Dealing With Any Food, Drug, Biological Product, Device, Cosmetic, or Agricultural Product: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 36 of the 43 people sentenced under guideline §2N2.1 (84%) received probation only, and 7 (16%) received a prison term. The median prison term among those 7 was 1 month. All 43 pleaded guilty.
§2G3.1 Importing, Mailing, or Transporting Obscene Matter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
In fiscal year 2025, the U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 28 people sentenced under guideline §2G3.1. The median prison term was 27 months, and 24 people (86%) were sentenced to prison. Sentences within the guideline range were 29%, which is lower than the 38% for all fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
§2G3.1 Importing, Mailing, or Transporting Obscene Matter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
All 26 people sentenced under guideline §2G3.1 in fiscal year 2024 received a prison term, and none received probation only. The median prison term was 46 months. The sentences above the guideline range numbered 13 (50%), more than any other position.
§2G3.1 Importing, Mailing, or Transporting Obscene Matter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
In fiscal year 2023, 41 people were sentenced under guideline §2G3.1, and 40 of them (98%) pleaded guilty. One person was convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 26.5 months, and 36 people (88%) were sentenced to prison.
§2G3.1 Importing, Mailing, or Transporting Obscene Matter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
The median prison term under guideline §2G3.1 was 46 months in fiscal year 2022, which is higher than the 28.9 months across fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 33 people, and 29 (88%) went to prison. Sentences above the guideline range were the most common position, at
§2G3.1 Importing, Mailing, or Transporting Obscene Matter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
Federal courts sentenced 37 people under guideline §2G3.1 in fiscal year 2021. Of them, 35 (95%) went to prison, with a median prison term of 33 months, and 37 of 37 pleaded guilty. The count was higher than the 21 people sentenced under this guideline in fiscal year 2020.
§2G3.1 Importing, Mailing, or Transporting Obscene Matter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
In fiscal year 2020, 21 people were sentenced in federal court under guideline §2G3.1, and all 21 pleaded guilty. Of them, 19 (90%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 24 months. That median is lower than the 28.9 months for all fiscal years 2016 to 2025 under this guideline.
§2G3.1 Importing, Mailing, or Transporting Obscene Matter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
Of the 25 people sentenced under guideline §2G3.1 in fiscal year 2019, 20 (80%) were sent to prison with a median of 25.5 months (2.1 years). A quarter of those sent to prison received 51 months or more, and a quarter received 12 months or less.
§2G3.1 Importing, Mailing, or Transporting Obscene Matter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
In fiscal year 2018, 22 people were sentenced under guideline §2G3.1, and all 22 pleaded guilty. A prison term went to 20 (91%), and the median was 27 months (2.2 years).
§2G3.1 Importing, Mailing, or Transporting Obscene Matter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
Under guideline §2G3.1 in fiscal year 2017, 20 of the 26 people sentenced (77%) received a prison term and 5 (19%) received probation only. Only 7 sentences (27%) were within the guideline range, and 8 (31%) were above it.
§2G3.1 Importing, Mailing, or Transporting Obscene Matter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
All 25 people sentenced under guideline §2G3.1 in fiscal year 2016 received a prison term. The median prison term was 26 months (2.2 years), and 24 of the 25 (96%) pleaded guilty.
§2J1.6 Failure to Appear by Defendant: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
All 29 people sentenced under guideline §2J1.6 in fiscal year 2025 received a prison term, with a median of 12 months. A mandatory minimum applied to 4 of them (14%), and 2 were convicted after a trial.
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