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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 Western District of Virginia, FY2016–2025

    Drug trafficking accounted for 1,302 of the 2,529 people sentenced in the Western District of Virginia in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, or 51%. The district's median prison term was 60 months (5 years), higher than the 24-month median for all federal districts. Sentences within the guideline range were

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

    The Eastern District of Virginia sentenced 10,381 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 73% of them received a prison term, lower than the 91% share across all federal districts. Probation only was ordered for 24%. Sentences within the guideline range were more common here than nationally: 60% co

  • Federal Sentences in the District of South Carolina, FY2016–2025

    In the District of South Carolina, 6,874 people were sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 48.2 months, compared with 24 months across all 94 federal districts. Drug trafficking and firearms cases made up most of the district'

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

    In the Western District of North Carolina, 95% of the 4,904 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term, higher than the 91% rate for all federal districts. Supervised release for life was ordered for 260 people (5%). The median prison term was 57 months (4.8 years), compare

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

    Firearms offenses, not drug trafficking, were the most common federal offense type in the Middle District of North Carolina in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 1,372 of 3,816 people sentenced (36%). The median prison term was 60 months (5 years), compared with 24 months across all federal districts. Only

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

    In the Eastern District of North Carolina, 32% of guilty pleas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were straight pleas, entered without a written plea agreement. The district sentenced 7,801 people, and 56% of sentences fell within the guideline range, higher than the 48% share for all federal districts. T

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

    The District of Maryland imposed 36 life sentences on the 6,044 people it sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and murder accounted for 230 of its cases, with a median prison term of 300 months. Across all offenses, the median prison term was 48 months (4 years), compared with 24 months for all f

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

    Drug trafficking accounted for 47% of the 4,460 people sentenced in the Western District of Pennsylvania in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 48 months (4 years), compared with 24 months across all federal districts. Guilty pleas made up 98% of convictions, and 108 people were co

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

    People sent to prison in the Middle District of Pennsylvania in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 had a median prison term of 46 months (3.8 years), higher than the 24-month median for all federal districts. The district sentenced 4,067 people in that period. Its share of sentences within the guideline rang

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

    In the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 320 of the 5,462 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were convicted after a trial, and 94% pleaded guilty, lower than the 97% guilty plea rate for all federal districts. Straight pleas, entered without a written plea agreement, made up 18% of guilty

  • Federal Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025

    Of the 6,441 people sentenced in the District of New Jersey in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 84% received a prison term, lower than the 91% rate across all federal districts. Another 10% received probation only. For those sent to prison, the median term was 37 months (3.1 years), higher than the nation

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

    The District of Delaware sentenced 925 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and immigration cases made up 26% of them, second only to drug trafficking at 32%. The median prison term was 27 months (2.2 years), compared with 24 months for all federal districts. Guilty pleas accounted for 96% of convic

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