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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 Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025

    Immigration cases made up 77% of the 29,766 people sentenced in the District of New Mexico in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. That mix gives the district a median prison term of 3.5 months, lower than the 24-month median for all 94 federal districts. Almost everyone sentenced, 99%, received some prison t

  • Federal Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025

    In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, the District of Kansas sentenced 4,217 people, and those sent to prison received a median term of 46 months. Across all 94 federal districts, the median was 24 months. In Kansas, 14% of people got probation with no prison time, and 85% went to prison.

  • Federal Sentences in the District of Colorado, FY2016–2025

    Federal judges in the District of Colorado sentenced 4,231 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. More of those sentences fell below the guideline range at the government's request (38%) than inside the range (36%), and the in-range share was lower than the 48% for all 94 districts. The median prison

  • Federal Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025

    The Western District of Washington sent a smaller share of people to prison than federal courts overall: 78% of the 3,992 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, compared with 91% for all 94 federal districts. Probation only was ordered for 826 people (21%). For those sent to prison, the medi

  • Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Washington, FY2016–2025

    In the Eastern District of Washington, people convicted after a federal trial had a median prison term of 180 months, compared with 36 months after a guilty plea. The district sentenced 2,908 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 97% pleaded guilty. The overall median prison term was 36 months (3

  • Federal Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025

    In the District of Oregon, 2,469 of the 4,307 people with guideline information (57%) were sentenced below the guideline range at the government's request in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Only 22% were sentenced within the range, compared with 48% for all 94 federal districts. Nearly every guilty plea

  • Federal Sentences in the District of Nevada, FY2016–2025

    Firearms was the most common offense type in the District of Nevada, with 857 of the 3,640 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (24%). Drug trafficking accounted for 841 (23%). The median prison term in the district was 33 months (2.8 years), compared with 24 months for all 94 federal distr

  • Federal Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025

    In the District of Montana, the most common position for a federal sentence was below the guideline range without a government request: 1,279 people, or 36%, in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Only 33% were sentenced within the range, compared with 48% across all 94 federal districts. The district senten

  • Federal Sentences in the District of Idaho, FY2016–2025

    The District of Idaho sentenced 3,154 people in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 98% of them pleaded guilty. The 75 people convicted after a trial had a longer median prison term than those who pleaded: 100 months compared with 37 months. The district's overall median prison term was

  • Federal Sentences in the District of Hawaii, FY2016–2025

    In the District of Hawaii, a mandatory minimum prison term applied to 720 of the 1,377 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, or 53%. Drug trafficking made up 54% of the district's sentences. The median prison term was 53 months (4.4 years), compared with 24 months for all 94 federal distric

  • Federal Sentences in the Southern District of California, FY2016–2025

    The Southern District of California sentenced 32,099 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and immigration (46%) and drug trafficking (41%) made up most of them. 78% of sentences were below the guideline range at the government's request. The median prison term was 15 months, shorter than the 24-mont

  • Federal Sentences in the Central District of California, FY2016–2025

    Federal judges in the Central District of California sentenced 9,958 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and only 29% of those sentences were within the guideline range. Across all 94 federal districts, 48% were within the range. The district also had a large share of fraud, theft, and embezzlement

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