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
§2E3.1 Gambling Offenses: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
Fiscal year 2020 had the smallest count for §2E3.1 in the yearly table: 22 people. Of these, 14 (64%) received a prison term, with a median of 10 months, and 11 (50%) were ordered to pay a fine. Only 1 person was convicted after a trial.
§2E3.1 Gambling Offenses: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
Fiscal year 2019 had 29 people sentenced under §2E3.1, a small group. The median prison term was 24 months (2 years), higher than in the years on either side, and 7 people were convicted after a trial. Their median prison term was also 24 months.
§2E3.1 Gambling Offenses: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
In fiscal year 2018, 79 people were sentenced under §2E3.1, and 40 (51%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 7 months. A sentence below the guideline range at the government's request was the most common placement, at 42% (33 people).
§2E3.1 Gambling Offenses: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
All 65 people sentenced under §2E3.1 in fiscal year 2017 pleaded guilty, and none went to trial. Prison terms went to 30 (46%), and probation only went to 30 (46%). The median prison term was 5.5 months.
§2E3.1 Gambling Offenses: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 80 people were sentenced in federal court with §2E3.1 as the primary guideline. Probation only was the sentence for 40 of them (50%), and 29 (36%) received a prison term. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 5.1 months.
§2G1.1 Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
Of the 42 people sentenced under §2G1.1 in fiscal year 2025, a mandatory minimum applied to 16 (38%), and 4 (10%) received probation only. The median prison term was 75 months (6.2 years). The 5 people convicted after a trial had a median of 420 months.
§2G1.1 Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
In fiscal year 2024, 56 people were sentenced under §2G1.1, and 89% pleaded guilty. The median prison term was 60 months (5 years), lower than the 84 months in fiscal year 2023 and higher than the 33 months for all years.
§2G1.1 Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
In fiscal year 2023, 46 people were sentenced under §2G1.1, and 45 of them (98%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 84 months (7 years). Only 28% of sentences were within the guideline range, and 41% were below it at the government's request.
§2G1.1 Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
The median prison term under §2G1.1 was 79 months (6.6 years) in fiscal year 2022, which was higher than the 30 months in fiscal year 2021. A total of 68 people were sentenced, and 90% pleaded guilty. A mandatory minimum applied to 25% of the group.
§2G1.1 Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
In fiscal year 2021, 58 people were sentenced under §2G1.1, and 95% pleaded guilty. The median prison term was 30 months (2.5 years). Sentences below the guideline range without a government request were 31% of the group, and 40% were within the range.
§2G1.1 Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
Fiscal year 2020 had 38 people sentenced under §2G1.1, the smallest yearly count for this guideline in the table. The median prison term was 27 months (2.2 years), and 89% pleaded guilty. Few sentences were above the guideline range: 5%, or 2 people.
§2G1.1 Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
In fiscal year 2019, 82 people were sentenced under §2G1.1, the largest yearly count for this guideline in the table. The median prison term was 27 months (2.2 years). Only 34% were sentenced within the guideline range, and 35% were below it at the government's request.
Go deeper: Military Trial Results (every case, members) · Know Your Judge · Learn Your Lawyer (free)
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