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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.

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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.

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Latest Analysis

  • Federal Powder Cocaine Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018

    A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 2,513 of the 3,523 people sentenced for powder cocaine trafficking in fiscal year 2018, or 71%. That was higher than the 61% for all federal drug trafficking cases that year. The median prison term for powder cocaine was 60 months (5 years).

  • Federal Powder Cocaine Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017

    Federal judges sentenced 3,796 people for powder cocaine trafficking under guideline §2D1.1 in fiscal year 2017. The median prison term was 60 months (5 years), and 40% of sentences were within the guideline range. Another 34% were below the range at the government's request.

  • Federal Powder Cocaine Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016

    In fiscal year 2016, 3,642 people were sentenced in federal court for trafficking powder cocaine under guideline §2D1.1, and the median prison term was 60 months (5 years). People who pleaded guilty received a median of 57 months. The 104 people convicted after a trial received a median of 138.5 mon

  • Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025

    The median federal prison term for methamphetamine trafficking was 96 months (8 years) in fiscal year 2025, the highest yearly median from 2016 to 2025. 7,536 people were sentenced that year. A mandatory minimum applied to 4,800 of them (64%).

  • Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024

    In fiscal year 2024, a mandatory minimum prison term applied to 5,170 of the 8,237 people sentenced for federal methamphetamine trafficking (63%). That was lower than the 71% for methamphetamine across fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term in fiscal year 2024 was 87 months (7.2 years).

  • Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023

    In fiscal year 2023, the 182 people convicted at trial for federal methamphetamine trafficking and sent to prison had a median prison term of 240 months. The median after a guilty plea was 84 months. Across all 8,961 people sentenced that year, the median prison term was 87 months (7.2 years).

  • Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022

    Federal courts sentenced 9,653 people for methamphetamine trafficking in fiscal year 2022, the highest yearly count from 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 80 months (6.7 years). A mandatory minimum applied to 7,215 people (75%), and 98% pleaded guilty.

  • Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021

    Of 8,427 people sentenced for methamphetamine trafficking in federal court in fiscal year 2021, 8,321 (99%) pleaded guilty and 106 were convicted at trial. The median prison term was 72 months (6 years). In 51% of cases, the sentence was below the guideline range at the government's request.

  • Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020

    The median federal prison term for methamphetamine trafficking in fiscal year 2020 was 80 months (6.7 years), across 7,460 people sentenced. A mandatory minimum applied to 6,287 of them (84%). Only 158 were convicted at trial, and the rest pleaded guilty.

  • Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019

    A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 6,925 of the 8,394 people sentenced for federal methamphetamine trafficking in fiscal year 2019. Of those sent to prison, the median term was 78 months (6.5 years). 8,230 people (98%) pleaded guilty, and 164 were convicted after a trial.

  • Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018

    In fiscal year 2018, 7,489 people received federal sentences for methamphetamine trafficking, and 98% of them pleaded guilty. The median prison term was 78 months (6.5 years). For the 156 people convicted at trial and sent to prison, the median was 207.5 months.

  • Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017

    Federal courts sentenced 7,198 people for methamphetamine trafficking in fiscal year 2017. Those sent to prison had a median term of 72 months (6 years). Most sentences were not within the guideline range: 47% were below it at the government's request, and 23% were below it without such a request.

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