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
§2D1.1 Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking (Including Possession with Intent to Commit These Offenses): Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
Fiscal year 2022 had 19,612 people sentenced under §2D1.1, the highest yearly count in the table for fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 60 months (5 years). Of the people with the information, 27% were sentenced within the guideline range, and 45% were sentenced below it at the go
§2D1.1 Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking (Including Possession with Intent to Commit These Offenses): Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
In fiscal year 2021, 16,995 of the 17,241 people sentenced under §2D1.1 pleaded guilty (99%), and 246 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 60 months (5 years). Of the people with the information, 28% were sentenced within the guideline range and 44% below it at the government's r
§2D1.1 Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking (Including Possession with Intent to Commit These Offenses): Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
In fiscal year 2020, 15,965 people were sentenced under §2D1.1. That count is lower than the counts for fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and for fiscal year 2021. The median prison term was 60 months (5 years), 98% pleaded guilty, and 32% 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 2019
The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 19,463 people sentenced under §2D1.1 in fiscal year 2019. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 69% of those with that information recorded. The median prison term was 60 months (5 years), and 34% 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 2018
Among the 18,404 people sentenced under §2D1.1 in fiscal year 2018, the median prison term was 170 months for the 467 convicted after a trial and 60 months for those who pleaded guilty. A mandatory minimum applied to 61% of people with that information recorded. Overall, 97% pleaded guilty and 96% r
§2D1.1 Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking (Including Possession with Intent to Commit These Offenses): Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
In fiscal year 2017, 19,223 people were sentenced under §2D1.1, the drug trafficking guideline. A mandatory minimum applied to 47% of those with the information recorded, and the median prison term was 60 months (5 years). Of the 19,223, 98% pleaded guilty, and 35% were sentenced within the guidelin
§2D1.1 Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking (Including Possession with Intent to Commit These Offenses): Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 19,199 people were sentenced in federal court with §2D1.1 as the primary guideline. The median prison term was 55 months (4.6 years), and 96% of them received a prison term. The median was 51 months after a guilty plea and 150 months after a trial, and 98% pleaded guilty.
18 U.S.C. 1589, Forced labor: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2017–2025
All 11 federal trials under 18 U.S.C. 1589 in fiscal years 2017 to 2025 ended in a conviction. Of the 43 defendants, 25 (58%) pleaded guilty, 7 (16%) had their cases dismissed, and 11 (26%) went to trial. Of the 36 convicted, 33 (92%) received a prison term on this charge, with a median of 90.5 mont
18 U.S.C. 514, Fictitious obligations: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Among 45 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 with 18 U.S.C. 514 as the most serious charge, 10 (22%) went to trial, and 1 of those trials ended in an acquittal (10%). Of the 35 convicted, 34 (97%) received a prison term on that charge. The median term was 33 months (2.8
18 U.S.C. 1031, Major fraud against the United States: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Under 18 U.S.C. 1031, 8 of the 51 defendants (16%) whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 went to trial, and 1 was acquitted (1 of 8). Another 29 (57%) pleaded guilty and 14 (27%) had their cases dismissed. Of the 36 convicted, 23 (64%) received a prison term on that charge, with a median of
18 U.S.C. 1114, Protection of officers and employees of the United States: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
All 41 federal defendants convicted under 18 U.S.C. 1114 in cases that ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term on that charge, with a median of 201 months (16.8 years). Of the 53 defendants counted, 31 (58%) pleaded guilty, 10 (19%) had their cases dismissed, and 12 (23%) went to t
29 U.S.C. 439, Violations and penalties: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
All 53 federal defendants whose most serious charge at the end of the case was under 29 U.S.C. 439 were charged at the Class A misdemeanor level. In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 50 (94%) pleaded guilty, 2 (4%) had their cases dismissed, and 1 went to a bench trial that did not end in an acquittal. Of
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