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
21 U.S.C. 952, Importation of controlled substances: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of the 17,511 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 with 21 U.S.C. 952 as the most serious charge, 176 (1%) went to trial, and 53 of those trials (30%) ended in an acquittal. Most defendants, 15,342 (88%), pleaded guilty. Among the 15,465 convicted, 14,866 (96%) received
8 U.S.C. 1325, Improper entry by alien: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Most federal cases under 8 U.S.C. 1325 were petty offenses: 19,536 of 21,067 defendants (93%) whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Guilty pleas ended 20,709 cases (98%), and 20,775 defendants (99%) were convicted. The median prison term on the charge was 1 month.
18 U.S.C. 924, Penalties: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of the 22,123 federal defendants whose most serious charge at the end of the case fell under 18 U.S.C. 924, 20,556 (93%) were convicted in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Most pleaded guilty: 19,633, or 89%. Among those convicted, 96% received a prison term on that charge, and the median term was 60 mont
18 U.S.C. 13, Laws of States adopted for areas within Federal jurisdiction: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of the federal defendants whose most serious charge was under 18 U.S.C. 13, 10,584 of 25,535 (41%) had their cases dismissed in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Another 14,596 (57%) pleaded guilty and 355 (1%) went to trial, where 90 of the 355 trials (25%) ended in an acquittal. The largest counsel group
8 U.S.C. 1324, Bringing in and harboring certain aliens: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 38,775 federal defendants had cases end with a most serious charge under 8 U.S.C. 1324, and 36,785 of them (95%) pleaded guilty. Only 367 went to trial, and 63 of those trials (17%) ended in an acquittal. Of the 37,089 convicted, 32,449 (87%) received a prison term on t
18 U.S.C. 922, Unlawful acts: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Federal courts closed 70,704 cases in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in which the most serious charge at the end was under 18 U.S.C. 922. Guilty pleas ended 64,625 (91%), and 1,871 (3%) went to trial, with 380 of those trials (20%) ending in an acquittal. Of the 66,116 convicted, 62,535 (95%) received a
21 U.S.C. 841, Prohibited acts A: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of 82,948 federal defendants whose most serious charge at the end of the case fell under 21 U.S.C. 841, 77,290 (93%) pleaded guilty, 4,119 (5%) had their cases dismissed, and 1,539 (2%) went to trial, in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of those trials, 133 ended in an acquittal (9%). Among the 78,696 peo
21 U.S.C. 846, Attempt and conspiracy: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 86,132 federal defendants had a most serious charge under 21 U.S.C. 846 when their cases ended, and 78,583 of them (91%) were convicted. The median prison term on that charge was 72 months (6 years), and 209 people received life. Most cases ended in a guilty plea (89%),
8 U.S.C. 1326, Reentry of removed aliens: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
8 U.S.C. 1326 was the most serious charge for 172,681 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and every one of those charges was a felony. Guilty pleas ended 169,062 cases (98%), and only 336 reached trial. Of the 169,320 convicted, 164,026 (97%) received a prison term on
Producing Child Pornography Sentences in 2025: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial
The median federal prison term for producing child pornography (images of child exploitation) in fiscal year 2025 was 276 months (23 years), across 799 people sentenced. Courts-martial with 2025 trial dates recorded 11 production convictions, and the median adjudged confinement was 97 months (8.1 ye
Producing Child Pornography Sentences in 2024: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial
Courts-martial with 2024 trial dates recorded 15 convictions for producing child pornography (images of child exploitation), with a median adjudged confinement of 156.4 months (13 years). In federal fiscal year 2024, 750 people were sentenced for production offenses, and their median prison term was
Child Pornography Sentences in 2025: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial
For fiscal year 2025, the median federal prison term for possessing, receiving, or distributing child pornography (images of child exploitation) was 97 months (8.1 years), across 1,429 people sentenced. Courts-martial tried in 2025 recorded 84 convictions for these offenses, with a median adjudged c
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