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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 Louisiana, FY2016–2025

    People convicted at trial in the Eastern District of Louisiana received a median prison term of 240 months, against 57 months for those who pleaded guilty. Across all 2,953 people sentenced there in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, the median prison term was 60 months (5 years), compared with 24 months fo

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

    Judges in the Southern District of Georgia stayed inside the federal guideline range in 71% of sentences, compared with 48% across all federal districts. The district also ordered fines often: 1,521 of the 4,115 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (37%) received one. The median prison term

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

    Probation was more common in the Middle District of Georgia than in federal court as a whole. Of 4,094 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 877 (21%) received probation only, and 78% received a prison term, compared with 91% across all federal districts. For those who did go to prison, the

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

    In the Northern District of Georgia, the most common sentence position was below the guideline range at the government's request: 41% of the 5,303 people with that information. Only 32% received a sentence within the range, lower than the 48% for all federal districts. The district sentenced 5,362 p

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

    The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 17,081 people sentenced in the Southern District of Florida in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Their median prison term was 32 months, compared with 24 months across all 94 federal districts. Guilty pleas made up 95% of the district's cases, a little lower than the

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

    The Middle District of Florida sentenced 13,145 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and the median prison term among those sent to prison was 57 months (4.8 years). For all 94 federal districts the median was 24 months. A mandatory minimum applied to 5,719 people (44%), and immigration cases made u

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

    In the Northern District of Florida, 185 of the 2,768 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were convicted after a trial, and the guilty-plea rate was 93%, lower than the 97% rate for all federal districts. Sexual abuse and child pornography (images of child exploitation) each made up 5% of

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

    A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1,108 of the 2,994 people sentenced in the Southern District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, or 37%. Supervised release after prison was ordered for 92% of them. The median prison term was 41 months, compared with 24 months for all federal district

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

    The Middle District of Alabama sentenced 2,037 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 94% of them pleaded guilty, lower than the 97% rate for all federal districts. 115 people were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 46 months, compared with 24 months nationally, and firearms was t

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

    Firearms offenses, not drug trafficking, were the most common offense type among the 4,557 people sentenced in the Northern District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 1,509 people, or 33%. The median prison term in the district was 46 months, compared with 24 months nationally. 56% of sentenc

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

    In the Southern District of West Virginia, 36% of sentences in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 fell below the guideline range without a request from the government. The district sentenced 2,416 people in that period, and their median prison term was 42 months, compared with 24 months for all federal distr

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

    Of the 2,879 people sentenced in the Northern District of West Virginia in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 1,628 (57%) were sentenced for drug trafficking. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 449 people (16%). The median prison term was 37 months, higher than the 24-month median for all federal di

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