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
§2S1.3 Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
113 people were sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2020 with §2S1.3 as the primary guideline. 88 (78%) received a prison term, the median prison term was 10 months, and 112 pleaded guilty.
§2S1.3 Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
The median prison term under §2S1.3 in fiscal year 2019 was 10 months, which is lower than the 12 months in fiscal year 2018. 177 people were sentenced under this guideline, and 129 (73%) of them received a prison term.
§2S1.3 Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
Federal courts sentenced 152 people in fiscal year 2018 in cases where §2S1.3 was the primary guideline. 115 of them (76%) were sentenced to prison, with a median prison term of 12 months, and 29 (19%) received probation only.
§2S1.3 Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
In fiscal year 2017, 172 of the 174 people sentenced in federal court under §2S1.3 (99%) pleaded guilty. 117 (67%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 12 months.
§2S1.3 Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
Of the 257 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2016 with §2S1.3 as the primary guideline, 101 (39%) received a sentence below the guideline range at the government's request. 177 (69%) were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 12 months.
§2X5.2 Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline): Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
In fiscal year 2025, 216 people were sentenced in federal court with §2X5.2 as the primary guideline, and 213 of them (99%) received a sentence within the guideline range. 117 (54%) were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 0.1 months.
§2X5.2 Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline): Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
In fiscal year 2024, 202 people were sentenced in federal court with §2X5.2 as the primary guideline. 136 of them (67%) received probation only, and 66 (33%) received a prison term. The median prison term among those 66 people was 0.3 months.
§2X5.2 Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline): Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
Fiscal year 2023 had 339 people sentenced under §2X5.2, "Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline)," more than any other year in the table. 149 (44%) received a sentence above the guideline range, and 221 (65%) received a prison term with a median of 7 months.
§2X5.2 Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline): Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
In fiscal year 2022, 214 people were sentenced under §2X5.2, "Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline)." 105 (49%) received a prison term and 106 (50%) received probation only. 36 people (17%) were sentenced above the guideline range.
§2X5.2 Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline): Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
The median prison term under §2X5.2, "Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline)," was 2.2 months in fiscal year 2021. 175 people were sentenced, 95 (54%) received probation only, and 77 (44%) received a prison term.
§2X5.2 Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline): Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
All 142 people sentenced in fiscal year 2020 under §2X5.2, "Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline)," pleaded guilty (100%), and none were convicted after a trial. 86 (61%) received a prison term with a median of 4.6 months, and 53 (37%) received probation only.
§2X5.2 Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline): Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
In fiscal year 2019, 40 of the 214 people sentenced under §2X5.2, "Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline)," (19%) received a sentence above the guideline range. 133 (62%) received a prison term, with a median of 5.1 months. 169 people (79%) were sentenced within the
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