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
§2A3.4 Abusive Sexual Contact or Attempt to Commit Abusive Sexual Contact: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
In fiscal year 2024, 7 of the 39 people sentenced under guideline §2A3.4 were convicted after a trial, and 32 (82%) pleaded guilty. The median prison term was 24 months after a guilty plea and 21 months after a trial. Restitution was ordered for 14 people (36%).
§2A3.4 Abusive Sexual Contact or Attempt to Commit Abusive Sexual Contact: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
Of the 46 people sentenced in federal court under guideline §2A3.4 in fiscal year 2023, 42 (91%) received a prison term with a median of 24 months (2 years). The median supervised release term was 72 months. A total of 50% of the sentences were within the guideline range.
§2A3.4 Abusive Sexual Contact or Attempt to Commit Abusive Sexual Contact: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
Fiscal year 2022 had 48 people sentenced under guideline §2A3.4, the largest count of any year from fiscal year 2016 to fiscal year 2025. The median prison term was 21 months, and 60% of sentences were within the guideline range. The median prison term for all federal cases that year was higher, at
§2A3.4 Abusive Sexual Contact or Attempt to Commit Abusive Sexual Contact: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
In fiscal year 2021, 42% of the 26 people sentenced under guideline §2A3.4 received a sentence within the guideline range, which was lower than the 50% for fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 36 months (3 years). The guilty plea rate was 81%, the lowest of any fiscal year in the ta
§2A3.4 Abusive Sexual Contact or Attempt to Commit Abusive Sexual Contact: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
In fiscal year 2020, 25 people were sentenced in federal court under guideline §2A3.4, and 24 (96%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 40.5 months (3.4 years), which was higher than the 18 months in fiscal year 2019. The group is small, so the numbers move easily with a few cases.
§2A3.4 Abusive Sexual Contact or Attempt to Commit Abusive Sexual Contact: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
The median prison term under guideline §2A3.4 in fiscal year 2019 was 18 months, among 40 people sent to prison. That year, 44 people were sentenced under this guideline, and 55% received a sentence within the guideline range. The median was lower than in fiscal year 2018 (24 months) and fiscal year
§2A3.4 Abusive Sexual Contact or Attempt to Commit Abusive Sexual Contact: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
In fiscal year 2018, 41 people were sentenced in federal court under guideline §2A3.4. Of those, 39 (95%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 24 months (2 years). A total of 40 of the 41 (98%) pleaded guilty.
§2A3.4 Abusive Sexual Contact or Attempt to Commit Abusive Sexual Contact: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
Of the 38 people sentenced under §2A3.4 in fiscal year 2017, 36 (95%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 60 months. 7 people (18%) received supervised release for life. The median prison term was 27 months (2.2 years).
§2A3.4 Abusive Sexual Contact or Attempt to Commit Abusive Sexual Contact: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 34 people were sentenced in federal court with §2A3.4 as the primary guideline. 33 (97%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 30 months (2.5 years). 31 people (91%) pleaded guilty, and 3 were convicted after a trial.
§2A1.4 Involuntary Manslaughter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
The median prison term under §2A1.4 in fiscal year 2025 was 46 months (3.8 years), the highest median in the table. 48 people were sentenced, and 43 (90%) went to prison. 17 people (35%) were sentenced above the guideline range, more than any other position.
§2A1.4 Involuntary Manslaughter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
Fiscal year 2024 had the largest count in the table for §2A1.4: 60 people, of whom 8 were convicted after a trial. 52 (87%) pleaded guilty. 56 people (93%) were sentenced to prison, and the median prison term was 32 months (2.7 years).
§2A1.4 Involuntary Manslaughter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
42 people were sentenced under §2A1.4 in fiscal year 2023, and 4 of them were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 37 months (3.1 years), and 40 people (95%) were sent to prison. 21% were sentenced below the guideline range at the government's request.
Go deeper: Military Trial Results (every case, members) · Know Your Judge · Learn Your Lawyer (free)
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