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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 Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025

    In the Eastern District of Arkansas, the U.S. Sentencing Commission's prison offenses category accounted for 552 of the 4,942 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (11%). Their median prison term was 4 months. Across the district, 55% of sentences were within the guideline range, compared wi

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

    The Western District of Wisconsin sentenced 1,403 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and those sent to prison had a median term of 59.5 months (5 years). The median for all 94 federal districts was 24 months. 50% of the district's sentences were below the guideline range without a government reque

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

    Only 17% of sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were within the federal guideline range, compared with 48% for all 94 federal districts. The district sentenced 2,907 people, and 85% received a prison term, lower than the 91% national figure. The median prison

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

    People convicted at trial in the Southern District of Indiana had a median prison term of 240 months, based on 134 trial convictions in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. After a guilty plea, the median was 65 months. Across all 4,205 people sentenced, the median prison term was 70 months, compared with 24

  • Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025

    Firearms cases were the most common offense type in the Northern District of Indiana: 1,141 of the 3,085 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (37%). Drug trafficking came next with 874 (28%). The district's median prison term was 51 months (4.2 years), compared with 24 months for all 94 fed

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

    The Southern District of Illinois ordered a fine for 1,435 of the 2,576 people it sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, or 56%. Its median prison term was 71 months (5.9 years), against 24 months for all 94 federal districts. 55% of its sentences were within the guideline range, compared with 48%

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

    A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1,217 of the 2,440 people (50%) sentenced in the Central District of Illinois in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term there was 70 months (5.8 years), higher than the 24-month median for all 94 federal districts. Drug trafficking cases, with a

  • Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025

    In the Northern District of Illinois, 52% of sentences in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were below the guideline range without a government request, and only 29% were within the range. Across all 94 federal districts, 48% were within the range. The district sentenced 6,211 people, and the median prison

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

    Federal judges in the Western District of Tennessee sentenced 4,226 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and the median prison term among those sent to prison was 60 months (5 years). Across all 94 federal districts, that median was 24 months. Firearms offenses accounted for 32% of the district's se

  • Federal Sentences in the Middle District of Tennessee, FY2016–2025

    Firearms was the largest offense type among the 2,879 people sentenced in the Middle District of Tennessee in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, at 29%, ahead of Drug Trafficking at 26%. The median prison term was 50 months (4.2 years), compared with 24 months for all 94 federal districts. Only 26% of sente

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

    A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 51% of the 6,452 people sentenced in the Eastern District of Tennessee in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Those sent to prison had a median prison term of 70 months (5.8 years), compared with 24 months across all 94 federal districts. Drug Trafficking made up 53

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

    In the Southern District of Ohio, 49% of sentences in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were below the guideline range at the government's request. Only 27% were within the range, compared with 48% for all 94 federal districts. Of the 5,580 people sentenced, 98% pleaded guilty, and 98% of those guilty pleas

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