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
§2D2.2 Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
In fiscal year 2024, 34 people were sentenced under §2D2.2, "Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge; Attempt or Conspiracy." The median prison term was 1.6 months, the shortest in the table. Prison went to 14 (41%), and 18 (53%) received probation only.
§2D2.2 Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
Of 40 people sentenced under §2D2.2 in fiscal year 2023, 15 (38%) received a prison term and 23 (58%) received probation only. The guideline is titled "Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge; Attempt or Conspiracy." The median prison term was 6 months, and all 4
§2D2.2 Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
In fiscal year 2022, 51 people were sentenced under §2D2.2, "Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge; Attempt or Conspiracy." A fine was ordered for 22 of them (43%). Prison went to 14 (27%), with a median of 6 months.
§2D2.2 Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
In fiscal year 2021, 48 people were sentenced under §2D2.2, "Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge; Attempt or Conspiracy." Only 9 (19%) received a prison term, and 35 (73%) received probation only. The median prison term was 7 months.
§2D2.2 Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
In fiscal year 2020, 63 people were sentenced under §2D2.2, "Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge; Attempt or Conspiracy." Of the 63, 22 (35%) received a prison term, but the median was only 3 months, and a quarter of those terms were 0.3 months or less.
§2D2.2 Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
Fiscal year 2019 had 111 people sentenced under §2D2.2, the largest count of any year from 2016 to 2025. The guideline is titled "Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge; Attempt or Conspiracy." Of the 111, 27 (24%) went to prison for a median of 6 months, and 72
§2D2.2 Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
The median prison term under §2D2.2 was 12 months in fiscal year 2018, higher than in any other year from 2016 to 2025. The guideline is titled "Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge; Attempt or Conspiracy." Of 58 people sentenced, 16 (28%) went to prison and 5
§2D2.2 Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
In fiscal year 2017, 56 people were sentenced under §2D2.2, "Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge; Attempt or Conspiracy." A prison term was imposed on 19 (34%), and the median prison term was 7 months. Probation only went to 34 people (61%).
§2D2.2 Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 53 people were sentenced in federal court under §2D2.2, "Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge; Attempt or Conspiracy." All 53 (100%) pleaded guilty. Most, 35 (66%), received probation only, and 12 (23%) were sent to prison for a median of
§2H1.1 Offenses Involving Individual Rights: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
In fiscal year 2025, 64 people were sentenced under §2H1.1, "Offenses Involving Individual Rights." The median prison term was 21 months, the lowest in the table of years from 2016 to 2025. Of the 64, 53 (83%) were sent to prison, and 1 received a life sentence.
§2H1.1 Offenses Involving Individual Rights: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
Fiscal year 2024 had the most people sentenced under §2H1.1, "Offenses Involving Individual Rights," of any year from 2016 to 2025: 97. Of the 97, 85 (88%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 24 months (2 years). Only 18% of sentences were within the guideline range.
§2H1.1 Offenses Involving Individual Rights: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
Under §2H1.1, "Offenses Involving Individual Rights," 69 people were sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2023. The median prison term was 36 months (3 years), but a quarter of those sent to prison received 147 months or more. Of the 69, 55 (80%) went to prison.
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