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
§2L1.2 Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
In fiscal year 2024, 584 of the people sentenced under §2L1.2 (5%) received a sentence above the guideline range, and 65% were within the range. The Commission counted 12,550 people, and the median prison term was 8 months. More than 99% pleaded guilty.
§2L1.2 Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
A mandatory minimum applied to 1 of the 12,869 people sentenced under §2L1.2 in fiscal year 2023. The median prison term was 8 months, and 61% of sentences were within the guideline range. Only 19 people were convicted after a trial.
§2L1.2 Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
In fiscal year 2022, 30 people were convicted after a trial under §2L1.2, and their median prison term was 35 months. The other 11,948 pleaded guilty, with a median of 9 months. The Commission counted 11,978 people in all, and 55% were sentenced within the guideline range.
§2L1.2 Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
Fiscal year 2021 has the smallest count in the §2L1.2 yearly table, with 11,565 people sentenced. It also has the highest median prison term in that table, at 10 months. Of those counted, 54% were sentenced within the guideline range, and only 9 people were convicted after a trial.
§2L1.2 Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
In fiscal year 2020, the median prison term under §2L1.2 was 5 months, the lowest median in the yearly table for fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The Commission counted 19,654 people, and more than 99% pleaded guilty. Of the people with the information, 66% were sentenced within the guideline range.
§2L1.2 Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
The largest yearly count in the table for §2L1.2 is fiscal year 2019, with 22,077 people sentenced. The median prison term was 6 months, more than 99% pleaded guilty, and 69% of sentences were within the guideline range. Trial convictions were few, at 48 people.
§2L1.2 Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
Among the 18,241 people sentenced under §2L1.2 in fiscal year 2018, 62% of the guilty pleas were straight pleas with no written plea agreement. The median prison term was 6 months, and 69% of sentences were within the guideline range. Only 42 people were convicted after a trial.
§2L1.2 Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
Of the 15,895 people sentenced under §2L1.2 in fiscal year 2017, 65% received a sentence within the guideline range. The median prison term was 9 months, and more than 99% of the people pleaded guilty. A mandatory minimum was recorded for 6 people.
§2L1.2 Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 15,813 people were sentenced under §2L1.2, and the median prison term was 9 months. A quarter of those sent to prison received 21 months or more, and a quarter received 2.8 months or less. More than 99% pleaded guilty, and 59% were sentenced within the guideline range.
§2D1.1 Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking (Including Possession with Intent to Commit These Offenses): Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
Of the 15,950 people sentenced under §2D1.1 in fiscal year 2025, 97% received a prison term, and the median was 72 months (6 years). That is the highest median in the yearly table, which starts in fiscal year 2016. A guilty plea ended 98% of the cases, and 29% of sentences were within the guideline
§2D1.1 Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking (Including Possession with Intent to Commit These Offenses): Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
In fiscal year 2024, the median prison term for the 17,771 people sentenced under §2D1.1 was 70 months (5.8 years), higher than in fiscal year 2023 (65 months). A mandatory minimum applied to 57% of those with the information recorded. A guilty plea ended 98% of the cases.
§2D1.1 Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking (Including Possession with Intent to Commit These Offenses): Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
The median prison term under §2D1.1 in fiscal year 2023 was 65 months (5.4 years), among 18,640 people sentenced. That median is higher than the 60 months reported for fiscal year 2022. Of the 18,640, 98% pleaded guilty, and 26% were sentenced within the guideline range.
Go deeper: Military Trial Results (every case, members) · Know Your Judge · Learn Your Lawyer (free)
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