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
§2X4.1 Misprision of Felony: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
In fiscal year 2024, 8% of the 170 people sentenced under §2X4.1 received a sentence above the guideline range (14). Prison went to 98 people (58%), and probation only went to 64 (38%). The median prison term was 12 months.
§2X4.1 Misprision of Felony: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
The median prison term under §2X4.1 in fiscal year 2023 was 10.3 months, which is lower than the 12 months listed for most other years in the yearly table. The count was 151 people, and 100% pleaded guilty.
§2X4.1 Misprision of Felony: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
In fiscal year 2022, 213 people were sentenced with §2X4.1 as the primary guideline, and all 213 pleaded guilty. Prison went to 125 (59%), probation only went to 81 (38%), and 46% were sentenced within the guideline range. The median prison term was 12 months.
§2X4.1 Misprision of Felony: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
Among the 173 people sentenced under §2X4.1 in fiscal year 2021, a mandatory minimum applied to 1 (less than 1%). Prison went to 99 people (57%), and probation only went to 64 (37%). The median prison term was 12 months.
§2X4.1 Misprision of Felony: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
Fiscal year 2020 had 155 people sentenced under §2X4.1, down from 268 the year before. Of them, 76 (49%) received a prison term and 68 (44%) received probation only. The median prison term was 12 months, and all 155 pleaded guilty.
§2X4.1 Misprision of Felony: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
In fiscal year 2019, 161 of the 268 people sentenced under §2X4.1 (60%) received a prison term, and 96 (36%) received probation only. A sentence within the guideline range was also imposed for 60% (162). The median prison term was 12 months.
§2X4.1 Misprision of Felony: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
In fiscal year 2018, 41% of the 234 people sentenced under §2X4.1 received a sentence within the guideline range (96). Prison went to 110 people (47%), and probation only went to 105 (45%). The median prison term was 12 months.
§2X4.1 Misprision of Felony: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
The yearly table lists 306 people for fiscal year 2017, the most of any year from 2016 to 2025 under §2X4.1. Of them, 167 (55%) received a prison term and 127 (42%) received probation only. The median prison term was 12 months.
§2X4.1 Misprision of Felony: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 290 people were sentenced in federal court with §2X4.1 as the primary guideline. Of them, 137 (47%) received a prison term and 127 (44%) received probation only. The median prison term was 12 months, and all 290 pleaded guilty.
§2D1.2 Drug Offenses Occurring Near Protected Locations or Involving Underage or Pregnant Individuals: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
All 177 people sentenced under §2D1.2 in fiscal year 2025 pleaded guilty (100%), and no one was convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 72 months, or 6 years. The 2025 count of 177 is lower than the count for each earlier year in the yearly table.
§2D1.2 Drug Offenses Occurring Near Protected Locations or Involving Underage or Pregnant Individuals: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
In fiscal year 2024, 229 people were sentenced under §2D1.2. A sentence above the guideline range was imposed for 8% of them (18). The median prison term was 78 months.
§2D1.2 Drug Offenses Occurring Near Protected Locations or Involving Underage or Pregnant Individuals: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
The median prison term for the 276 people sentenced under §2D1.2 in fiscal year 2023 was 84 months, or 7 years. That is the highest median in the yearly table for 2016 to 2025. A sentence within the guideline range was imposed for 42%, and 39% were below the range at the government's request.
Go deeper: Military Trial Results (every case, members) · Know Your Judge · Learn Your Lawyer (free)
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