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
§2G1.1 Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
In fiscal year 2018, 80 people were sentenced under §2G1.1. Of these, 74 (93%) received a prison term and 6 (8%) received probation only. The median prison term was 27 months (2.2 years), and 89% pleaded guilty.
§2G1.1 Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
In fiscal year 2017, 72 people were sentenced under §2G1.1, and 70 of them (97%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 27 months (2.2 years). Mandatory minimums applied to 15% of the group, and 51% were sentenced within the guideline range.
§2G1.1 Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 70 people were sentenced in federal court with §2G1.1 as the primary guideline. The median prison term was 24 months (2 years), and 96% pleaded guilty. The 3 people convicted after a trial had a median prison term of 204 months.
§2A1.2 Second Degree Murder: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
In fiscal year 2025, 94 people were sentenced under §2A1.2, and 26% of those with the information recorded were subject to a mandatory minimum. The median prison term was 251 months (20.9 years), and 6 people received a life sentence.
§2A1.2 Second Degree Murder: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
Of the 105 people sentenced under §2A1.2 in fiscal year 2024, 90% pleaded guilty and all 105 were sent to prison. The median prison term was 210 months (17.5 years), which was lower than the median of 262 months in fiscal year 2023 and the median of 234 months for all years.
§2A1.2 Second Degree Murder: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
Fiscal year 2023 had 110 people sentenced under §2A1.2, the largest yearly count from 2016 to 2025. All 110 were sent to prison, with a median prison term of 262 months (21.8 years), and 11 received a life sentence.
§2A1.2 Second Degree Murder: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
In fiscal year 2022, 80 people were sentenced in federal court with §2A1.2 as the primary guideline, and all 80 received a prison term. The median prison term was 218 months (18.2 years). The 12 people convicted after a trial had a median of 365 months, compared with 216 months for those who pleaded
§2A1.2 Second Degree Murder: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
All 45 people sentenced under §2A1.2 in fiscal year 2021 pleaded guilty (100%), and none was convicted after a trial. All 45 received a prison term, and the median was 210 months (17.5 years). 2 people received a life sentence.
§2A1.2 Second Degree Murder: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
Only 27 people were sentenced under §2A1.2 in fiscal year 2020, the smallest count in the table for fiscal years 2016 to 2025. All 27 received a prison term, the median was 210 months (17.5 years), and 17 sentences (63%) were within the guideline range.
§2A1.2 Second Degree Murder: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
The median prison term under §2A1.2 in fiscal year 2019 was 180 months (15 years) for 45 people, the lowest median in the table for fiscal years 2016 to 2025. All 45 received a prison term, and 43 (96%) pleaded guilty.
§2A1.2 Second Degree Murder: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
In fiscal year 2018, 39 of the 47 people sentenced under §2A1.2 pleaded guilty (83%), which is the lowest plea rate in the table for fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 8 people were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 259 months (21.6 years).
§2A1.2 Second Degree Murder: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
Of the 40 people who pleaded guilty under §2A1.2 in fiscal year 2017, 100% had a written plea agreement. The median prison term for all 46 people sentenced was 229.5 months (19.1 years), and the median for the 6 people convicted after a trial was 360 months.
Go deeper: Military Trial Results (every case, members) · Know Your Judge · Learn Your Lawyer (free)
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