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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

  • Theft and Fraud Sentences in 2017: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    Federal judges sentenced 6,358 people under guideline §2B1.1 (theft, embezzlement, fraud, and property damage) in fiscal year 2017, and the median prison term for those sent to prison was 24 months. Courts-martial with 2017 trial dates produced 63 Article 121 convictions for larceny, theft, and frau

  • Theft and Fraud Sentences in 2016: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    In 2016, 51 courts-martial ended in a conviction for larceny, theft, or fraud under Article 121, and 84% of them included confinement, with a median of 6 months. Federal courts sentenced 7,104 people under guideline §2B1.1 in fiscal year 2016. Of those, 70% received a prison term, and the median pri

  • Drug Distribution Sentences in 2025: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    Only 16 court-martial convictions for drug distribution have trial dates in 2025, and their median adjudged confinement was 5.4 months. Federal courts sentenced 14,572 people for drug trafficking without an import statute in fiscal year 2025, and the median prison term among those sent to prison was

  • Drug Distribution Sentences in 2024: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    The court-martial data for 2024 holds 26 drug distribution convictions, and the median adjudged confinement was 6 months. In fiscal year 2024, 16,041 people were sentenced in federal court for drug trafficking without an import statute, and those sent to prison had a median term of 70.7 months. At t

  • Drug Distribution Sentences in 2023: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    Courts-martial tried in 2023 recorded 34 drug distribution convictions, 32 of them (94%) by guilty plea, with a median adjudged confinement of 4.8 months. Federal courts sentenced 16,727 people for drug trafficking without an import statute in fiscal year 2023, and the median prison term for those s

  • Drug Distribution Sentences in 2022: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    Every one of the 53 court-martial drug distribution convictions tried in 2022 with a sentence recorded included confinement (100%), and the median adjudged confinement was 5.9 months. In fiscal year 2022, federal courts sentenced 17,228 people for drug trafficking without an import statute; 96% rece

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

    The court-martial records list 74 drug distribution convictions with 2021 trial dates, from the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, and the median adjudged confinement was 6 months. Federal courts sentenced 14,733 people for drug trafficking without an import statute in fiscal year 2021, with a

  • Drug Distribution Sentences in 2020: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    Guilty pleas made up 35 of the 41 court-martial drug distribution convictions with a plea recorded in 2020 (85%), and federal court reported 97% guilty pleas in fiscal year 2020. The median adjudged confinement for the 45 court-martial convictions was 4.5 months. The median federal prison term was 6

  • Drug Distribution Sentences in 2019: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    Of the 45 enlisted members convicted of drug distribution at courts-martial tried in 2019, 36 (80%) received a punitive discharge, and the median adjudged confinement across all 46 convictions was 5.4 months. Federal courts in fiscal year 2019 sentenced 17,249 people for drug trafficking without an

  • Drug Distribution Sentences in 2018: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    In fiscal year 2018, federal courts sentenced 16,042 people for drug trafficking without an import statute, with a median prison term of 63 months among those imprisoned. Courts-martial tried in 2018 recorded 36 drug distribution convictions, and the median adjudged confinement was 4.4 months. Nearl

  • Drug Distribution Sentences in 2017: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    For drug distribution convictions at courts-martial tried in 2017, the median adjudged confinement was 4.3 months across 45 convictions. Federal judges in fiscal year 2017 sentenced 16,970 people for drug trafficking without an import statute, and the median prison term was 60 months for those who w

  • Drug Distribution Sentences in 2016: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    Courts-martial with trial dates in 2016 produced 33 convictions for drug distribution, and the median adjudged confinement was 5 months. In federal court, 16,908 people were sentenced for drug trafficking without an import statute in fiscal year 2016, and the median prison term for those sent to pri

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