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.
Browse the Analysis
- By InstallationBases and regions, by time period
- By OffenseUCMJ articles, rising and falling charges
- By ServiceArmy, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps
- By YearWhat each year and month looked like
- SentencesConfinement, discharges, judge alone vs. members
- Counsel ExperiencePrior cases of the lawyers of record
- Law ChangesBefore and after the major reforms
- Episode CompanionsThe numbers behind podcast episodes
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.
Latest Analysis
Drug Use: Courts-Martial at McConnell AFB vs. Federal Court in the District of Kansas
In the District of Kansas, 39 of the 58 people sentenced for simple possession in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (67%) received probation only, and the median prison term for those sent to prison was 2 months. At McConnell AFB, 30 of the 31 Article 112a drug-use convictions with a sentence recorded (97%)
Drug Use: Courts-Martial at MacDill AFB vs. Federal Court in the Middle District of Florida
All 11 Article 112a drug-use convictions at courts-martial tried at MacDill AFB included confinement, and the median was 2.6 months. In the Middle District of Florida, only 14 people were sentenced for simple possession under 21 U.S.C. 844 in fiscal years 2017 to 2024, and 6 of them (43%) received a
Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Luke AFB vs. Federal Court in the District of Arizona
Courts-martial tried at Luke AFB produced 15 convictions for wrongful drug use under Article 112a, and 12 of those 15 (80%) included confinement, with a median of 3 months. In the federal District of Arizona, 3,028 people were sentenced for simple possession under 21 U.S.C. 844 in fiscal years 2016
Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Texas
Most cases in both groups ended in a guilty plea: 8 of the 9 Lackland drug-use convictions with a plea recorded, and 319 of 323 people (99%) sentenced for simple possession in the Western District of Texas. The median adjudged confinement for the 13 Lackland convictions was 3.1 months. District defe
Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington
Courts-martial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord produced 17 convictions for wrongful drug use (Article 112a), 15 of which (88%) included confinement, with a median of 2 months. In the Western District of Washington, 49 people were sentenced for simple possession, 20 of them (41%) received a prison term,
Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Joint Base Langley-Eustis vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of Virginia
The 11 court-martial convictions for wrongful drug use at Joint Base Langley-Eustis had a median adjudged confinement of 5.9 months, higher than the 3-month median for all courts-martial for this offense. In the Eastern District of Virginia, 329 people were sentenced for simple possession, and those
Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Joint Base Charleston vs. Federal Court in the District of South Carolina
All 11 court-martial convictions for wrongful drug use at Joint Base Charleston (100%) included confinement, and the median adjudged confinement was 2.5 months. In the District of South Carolina, 16 of 18 people sentenced in simple possession cases (89%) received a prison term, with a median of 16.6
Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Joint Base Andrews vs. Federal Court in the District of Maryland
Every one of the 13 court-martial convictions for wrongful drug use at Joint Base Andrews (100%) included confinement, with a median of 2.9 months. In the District of Maryland, 10 of 53 people sentenced for simple possession (19%) received a prison term, and 38 (72%) received probation only. The Mar
Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Holloman AFB vs. Federal Court in the District of New Mexico
In the District of New Mexico, 14 of the 23 people sentenced for simple possession (61%) received probation only, with no prison. At Holloman AFB, 26 of 34 court-martial convictions for wrongful drug use (76%) included confinement, with a median of 2 months. New Mexico defendants who were sent to pr
Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Hill AFB vs. Federal Court in the District of Utah
Of 8 Hill AFB drug-use convictions with a plea recorded, only 1 was a guilty plea, while 72 of 74 people (97%) sentenced for simple possession in the District of Utah pleaded guilty. Hill recorded 12 convictions for wrongful drug use (Article 112a), with a median adjudged confinement of 2.5 months.
Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Goodfellow AFB vs. Federal Court in the Northern District of Texas
Goodfellow AFB recorded 12 court-martial convictions for wrongful drug use (Article 112a) from 2016 to 2025, none of them at a general court-martial, and 11 of the 12 (92%) included confinement. In the Northern District of Texas, 31 people were sentenced for simple possession under 21 U.S.C. 844, an
Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Fairchild AFB vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of Washington
At Fairchild AFB, 18 courts-martial ended in a conviction for wrongful drug use (Article 112a), and the median adjudged confinement was 2.7 months. In the Eastern District of Washington, 12 people were sentenced for simple possession under 21 U.S.C. 844 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and those sent t
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