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
§2Q1.2 Mishandling of Hazardous or Toxic Substances or Pesticides: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
All 49 people sentenced under guideline §2Q1.2 in fiscal year 2022 pleaded guilty. Of the 49, 30 (61%) received probation only and 15 (31%) were sent to prison, with a median prison term of 2.8 months.
§2Q1.2 Mishandling of Hazardous or Toxic Substances or Pesticides: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
Fiscal year 2021 had the largest group sentenced under guideline §2Q1.2 in the 2016 to 2025 data: 54 people. Probation only was the most common sentence at 59% (32 people), and the median prison term was 0.2 months for the 18 people (33%) sent to prison.
§2Q1.2 Mishandling of Hazardous or Toxic Substances or Pesticides: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
In fiscal year 2020, 18 people were sentenced under guideline §2Q1.2, the smallest group in the 2016 to 2025 data. A prison term was imposed on 11 of them (61%), and the median prison term was 3 months.
§2Q1.2 Mishandling of Hazardous or Toxic Substances or Pesticides: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
Of the 31 people sentenced under guideline §2Q1.2 in fiscal year 2019, 17 (55%) received probation only, and 9 (29%) were sent to prison. The median prison term was 12 months. This was the largest group under this guideline in the early years of the data.
§2Q1.2 Mishandling of Hazardous or Toxic Substances or Pesticides: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
In fiscal year 2018, 26 people were sentenced in federal court under guideline §2Q1.2. Prison and probation only were equally common: 10 people (38%) received each. The median prison term was 9 months.
§2Q1.2 Mishandling of Hazardous or Toxic Substances or Pesticides: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
All 22 people sentenced under guideline §2Q1.2 in fiscal year 2017 pleaded guilty, and none went to trial. Of the 22, 11 (50%) received a prison term, with a median of 19 months, and 8 (36%) received probation only.
§2Q1.2 Mishandling of Hazardous or Toxic Substances or Pesticides: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 25 people were sentenced in federal court under guideline §2Q1.2. Probation only was the more common result: 13 people (52%) received it, while 10 (40%) were sent to prison. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 12 months.
§2A1.3 Voluntary Manslaughter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
In fiscal year 2025, 45 people were sentenced in federal court under §2A1.3, "Voluntary Manslaughter." A total of 44 (98%) received a prison term, with a median of 111.5 months (9.3 years), and 1 person (2%) received probation only. Across all years of this guideline, more than 99% were sent to pris
§2A1.3 Voluntary Manslaughter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
Fiscal year 2024 had 50 people sentenced in federal court under §2A1.3, "Voluntary Manslaughter," the largest group in the yearly table. The median prison term was 109 months (9.1 years). The 7 people convicted at trial had a median of 180 months, and the 43 who pleaded guilty had a median of 97 mon
§2A1.3 Voluntary Manslaughter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
Restitution was ordered for 20 of the 43 people (47%) sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2023 under §2A1.3, "Voluntary Manslaughter." The median prison term was 97 months (8.1 years), and 44% of sentences were within the guideline range.
§2A1.3 Voluntary Manslaughter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
In fiscal year 2022, 40 people were sentenced in federal court under §2A1.3, "Voluntary Manslaughter," up from 28 the year before. The median prison term was 107.5 months (9 years). In the 5 trial cases the median was 96 months, lower than the 115 months for guilty pleas.
§2A1.3 Voluntary Manslaughter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
In fiscal year 2021, 28 people were sentenced in federal court under §2A1.3, "Voluntary Manslaughter," with a median prison term of 91 months (7.6 years). A total of 39% of sentences (11 people) were above the guideline range, and none of the 28 was in the highest criminal history category.
Go deeper: Military Trial Results (every case, members) · Know Your Judge · Learn Your Lawyer (free)
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