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
§2A3.1 Criminal Sexual Abuse: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
Fiscal year 2024 had the highest median prison term in the yearly table for §2A3.1, Criminal Sexual Abuse: 188 months (15.7 years) for 154 people sentenced. 14 people received a life sentence, and 61 (40%) received supervised release for life.
§2A3.1 Criminal Sexual Abuse: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
In fiscal year 2023, 18 of the 133 people sentenced under §2A3.1, Criminal Sexual Abuse, received a sentence above the guideline range (14%). Only 35% were within the range. The median prison term was 180 months (15 years).
§2A3.1 Criminal Sexual Abuse: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
The median prison term under §2A3.1, Criminal Sexual Abuse, was 180 months (15 years) in fiscal year 2022, for 139 people who all went to prison. The median for all federal cases that year was 30 months. 80% of the §2A3.1 group pleaded guilty.
§2A3.1 Criminal Sexual Abuse: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
In fiscal year 2021, 107 of the 108 people sentenced under §2A3.1, Criminal Sexual Abuse, were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 120 months. 30 people received supervised release for life. The median prison term was 148 months (12.3 years).
§2A3.1 Criminal Sexual Abuse: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
In fiscal year 2020, 71 of the 92 people sentenced under §2A3.1, Criminal Sexual Abuse, pleaded guilty (77%), and 21 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 141 months (11.8 years), and 11 people received a life sentence.
§2A3.1 Criminal Sexual Abuse: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
All 137 people sentenced under §2A3.1, Criminal Sexual Abuse, in fiscal year 2019 received a prison term (100%). The median prison term was 121 months (10.1 years). It was 120 months after a guilty plea and 360 months after a trial.
§2A3.1 Criminal Sexual Abuse: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
Fiscal year 2018 had 91 people sentenced under §2A3.1, Criminal Sexual Abuse, the smallest yearly group in the table for fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 90 (99%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 162 months (13.5 years).
§2A3.1 Criminal Sexual Abuse: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
The median prison term under §2A3.1, Criminal Sexual Abuse, was 120 months (10 years) in fiscal year 2017. That is lower than the 168 months for the previous year and for all fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 133 people were sentenced, and 88% pleaded guilty.
§2A3.1 Criminal Sexual Abuse: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 147 people were sentenced in federal court with §2A3.1, Criminal Sexual Abuse, as the primary guideline. 145 (99%) went to prison, and the median prison term was 168 months (14 years). 8 received a life sentence.
§2M5.2 Exportation of Arms, Munitions, or Military Equipment or Services Without Required Validated Export License: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
In fiscal year 2025, the median prison term under §2M5.2 was 24 months, the same as the 24-month median for everyone sentenced in federal court that year. 158 of the 169 people sentenced under this guideline (93%) went to prison.
§2M5.2 Exportation of Arms, Munitions, or Military Equipment or Services Without Required Validated Export License: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
Fiscal year 2024 had 178 people sentenced under §2M5.2, the largest yearly count in the table for fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 160 (90%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 24 months.
§2M5.2 Exportation of Arms, Munitions, or Military Equipment or Services Without Required Validated Export License: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
In fiscal year 2023, 168 people were sentenced under §2M5.2, compared with 118 in fiscal year 2022. The median prison term was 28 months, higher than the 25 months the year before, and 99% of the 168 pleaded guilty.
Go deeper: Military Trial Results (every case, members) · Know Your Judge · Learn Your Lawyer (free)
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