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
§2B3.2 Extortion by Force or Threat of Injury or Serious Damage: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 31 of the 63 people sentenced under guideline §2B3.2 (49%) received a sentence below the guideline range without a request from the government. Only 17 (27%) were sentenced within the range. The median prison term was 36 months (3 years).
§2A3.2 Criminal Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under the Age of Sixteen Years (Statutory Rape) or Attempt to Commit Such Acts: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
The median prison term under guideline §2A3.2 in fiscal year 2025 was 46 months (3.8 years), the highest median for any fiscal year in the table below. The median for all federal cases that year was 24 months. A total of 30 people were sentenced under this guideline, which is a small group.
§2A3.2 Criminal Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under the Age of Sixteen Years (Statutory Rape) or Attempt to Commit Such Acts: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
In fiscal year 2024, 40 people were sentenced under guideline §2A3.2, and 22% of the guilty pleas were straight pleas with no written plea agreement. The median prison term was 30 months (2.5 years), about the same as the 30-month median for all federal cases that year. Of the 40, 37 (93%) pleaded g
§2A3.2 Criminal Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under the Age of Sixteen Years (Statutory Rape) or Attempt to Commit Such Acts: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
In fiscal year 2023, 49% of the 43 people sentenced under guideline §2A3.2 received a sentence within the guideline range, a lower share than the 67% in fiscal year 2022 and the 65% in fiscal year 2024. A total of 9 people (21%) received a sentence above the range. The median prison term was 35 mont
§2A3.2 Criminal Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under the Age of Sixteen Years (Statutory Rape) or Attempt to Commit Such Acts: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
In fiscal year 2022, 45 people were sentenced under guideline §2A3.2, and all 45 received a prison term with a median of 41 months (3.4 years). The median supervised release term was 120 months. Of the 45, 43 (96%) pleaded guilty and 2 were convicted after a trial.
§2A3.2 Criminal Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under the Age of Sixteen Years (Statutory Rape) or Attempt to Commit Such Acts: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
In fiscal year 2021, 59% of the 39 people sentenced under guideline §2A3.2 received a sentence within the guideline range, compared with 43% of all people sentenced in federal court that year. Every one of the 39 was sent to prison, and the median prison term was 36 months (3 years). All 39 pleaded
§2A3.2 Criminal Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under the Age of Sixteen Years (Statutory Rape) or Attempt to Commit Such Acts: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
Only 1 of the 28 people sentenced under guideline §2A3.2 in fiscal year 2020 received a sentence above the guideline range, and 18 (64%) were sentenced within it. The median prison term was 37 months (3.1 years), while the median for all federal cases that year was 18 months. All 28 people pleaded g
§2A3.2 Criminal Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under the Age of Sixteen Years (Statutory Rape) or Attempt to Commit Such Acts: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
In fiscal year 2019, the median prison term under guideline §2A3.2 was 36.5 months (3 years), which was higher than the 21-month median for all federal cases that year. A total of 40 people were sentenced under this guideline, and 65% of the sentences were within the guideline range.
§2A3.2 Criminal Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under the Age of Sixteen Years (Statutory Rape) or Attempt to Commit Such Acts: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
In fiscal year 2018, 39 people were sentenced under guideline §2A3.2. All 39 pleaded guilty and all 39 received a prison term, with a median of 30 months (2.5 years). Sentences were within the guideline range for 46% of them, and below it at the government's request for 26%.
§2A3.2 Criminal Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under the Age of Sixteen Years (Statutory Rape) or Attempt to Commit Such Acts: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
All 28 people sentenced under guideline §2A3.2 in fiscal year 2017 received a prison term, and the median was 24 months (2 years). That was about the same as the 24-month median for all federal cases that year. A total of 61% of the sentences were within the guideline range.
§2A3.2 Criminal Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under the Age of Sixteen Years (Statutory Rape) or Attempt to Commit Such Acts: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 33 people were sentenced in federal court under guideline §2A3.2, and all 33 (100%) pleaded guilty. The median prison term was 31.5 months (2.6 years). Only 30% of sentences were within the guideline range, and 30% were above it.
§2A3.4 Abusive Sexual Contact or Attempt to Commit Abusive Sexual Contact: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
In fiscal year 2025, 12 of the 37 people sentenced under guideline §2A3.4 (32%) received a sentence above the guideline range, and 15 (41%) received a sentence within it. The median prison term was 36 months (3 years). The sentencing counts are small, so the figures describe this group and not a tre
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