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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

  • Aggravated Assault Sentences in 2018: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    In 2018, 10 aggravated assault convictions under Article 128 had a median adjudged confinement of 42 months (3.5 years), and 1 included confinement for life. In federal court in fiscal year 2018, 398 people were sentenced under guideline §2A2.2, with a median prison term of 39.5 months (3.3 years).

  • Aggravated Assault Sentences in 2017: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    For trial dates in 2017, the court-martial records show 11 convictions for aggravated assault (Article 128), with a median confinement of 17.7 months. Federal court sentenced 383 people under guideline §2A2.2 in fiscal year 2017, and the median prison term was 37 months. The military median was lowe

  • Aggravated Assault Sentences in 2016: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    In 2016, the median confinement for the 10 court-martial convictions for aggravated assault under Article 128 was 36 months. In federal court in fiscal year 2016, the median prison term for the 365 people sentenced under guideline §2A2.2 was 36.9 months. The middle sentences were about the same, but

  • Manslaughter Sentences in 2021: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    Courts-martial with 2021 trial dates recorded 11 convictions for manslaughter under Article 119, and the median adjudged confinement was 42 months (3.5 years). In fiscal year 2021, federal courts sentenced 56 people under the voluntary or involuntary manslaughter guidelines, and the median prison te

  • Theft and Fraud Sentences in 2025: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    In fiscal year 2025, 4,804 people were sentenced in federal court under guideline §2B1.1, and 75% received prison with a median term of 20.5 months. Courts-martial tried in 2025 recorded 59 Article 121 convictions for larceny, theft, and fraud. Confinement was adjudged in 76% of them, with a median

  • Theft and Fraud Sentences in 2024: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    Courts-martial tried in 2024 produced 77 convictions for larceny, theft, and fraud under Article 121, and the median adjudged confinement was 2 months. Federal courts sentenced 5,015 people under guideline §2B1.1 in fiscal year 2024, and the median prison term was 20 months. Confinement was part of

  • Theft and Fraud Sentences in 2023: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    For theft and fraud cases in 2023, federal prison terms were longer than court-martial confinement. The median was 21 months for the 4,904 people sentenced under guideline §2B1.1 in fiscal year 2023 who went to prison, and 3.9 months for the 61 Article 121 convictions for larceny, theft, and fraud a

  • Theft and Fraud Sentences in 2022: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    The median adjudged confinement for the 63 Article 121 larceny, theft, and fraud convictions tried at courts-martial in 2022 was 3 months. In fiscal year 2022, the 5,208 people sentenced in federal court under guideline §2B1.1 who went to prison had a median term of 21 months. Confinement was part o

  • Theft and Fraud Sentences in 2021: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    Federal courts sentenced 4,235 people under guideline §2B1.1 in fiscal year 2021, and 71% received a prison term with a median of 20 months. Courts-martial recorded 83 Article 121 convictions for larceny, theft, and fraud with 2021 trial dates. Confinement was part of 72% of those sentences, and the

  • Theft and Fraud Sentences in 2020: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    In 2020, 27 of 40 court-martial convictions for larceny, theft, and fraud (68%) included confinement, and the median was 4 months. In fiscal year 2020, federal courts sentenced 4,356 people under guideline §2B1.1. Of them, 72% received a prison term, and the median term was 18 months.

  • Theft and Fraud Sentences in 2019: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    Courts-martial tried in 2019 produced 61 convictions for larceny, theft, and fraud under Article 121, with a median adjudged confinement of 8.4 months. Federal courts sentenced 5,707 people under guideline §2B1.1 in fiscal year 2019, and those sent to prison had a median term of 22 months. Among enl

  • Theft and Fraud Sentences in 2018: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    Of the 68 Article 121 convictions for larceny, theft, and fraud at courts-martial tried in 2018, 61 (90%) included confinement. In federal court in fiscal year 2018, 4,393 of 5,948 people sentenced under guideline §2B1.1 (74%) received a prison term. The federal median prison term was 24 months, and

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