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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

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

    31 of the 32 court-martial drug possession convictions with 2022 trial dates included confinement (97%), with a median of 3 months. In federal fiscal year 2022, 339 people were sentenced under 21 U.S.C. 844, and 47% received a prison term. The federal median prison term was 1 month.

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

    In federal fiscal year 2021, the median prison term for the 141 people sent to prison under the simple possession statute was 0.5 months. At courts-martial with 2021 trial dates, the median confinement for drug possession was 4 months across 54 convictions. Courts-martial also imposed confinement mo

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

    Most court-martial drug possession convictions with 2020 trial dates came from guilty pleas: 32 of the 39 with a plea recorded (82%). The 43 convictions had a median confinement of 4.1 months. In federal fiscal year 2020, 484 people were sentenced under 21 U.S.C. 844, 97% pleaded guilty, and the med

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

    In federal fiscal year 2019, 603 of the 614 people sentenced for simple possession under 21 U.S.C. 844 pleaded guilty (98%), and their median prison term was 5.4 months. Courts-martial with 2019 trial dates produced 43 drug possession convictions. 91% included confinement, and the median confinement

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

    Of the 29 courts-martial that ended in a drug possession conviction in 2018, 28 included confinement (97%), and the median confinement was 3.6 months. In federal fiscal year 2018, 820 people were sentenced under 21 U.S.C. 844, the simple possession statute. 64% received a prison term, 35% received p

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

    Federal court sentenced 1,343 people under the simple possession statute, 21 U.S.C. 844, in fiscal year 2017. Of those, 77% received a prison term, and the median prison term was 6 months. Courts-martial recorded 30 drug possession convictions with 2017 trial dates; 90% included confinement, and the

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

    In 2016, 23 courts-martial ended in a conviction for drug possession, and every one with a sentence recorded included confinement. The median confinement was 5.9 months. In federal court in fiscal year 2016, 1,917 people were sentenced under the simple possession statute, 85% received a prison term,

  • Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement Sentences in 2025: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    Courts-martial in 2025 recorded 57 convictions for sexual offenses against a child, and the median adjudged confinement was 83.9 months (7 years), compared with 36 months for all court-martial years from 2016 to 2025. Federal court sentenced 468 people for child-victim sexual abuse, enticement, and

  • Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement Sentences in 2024: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    The 71 court-martial convictions for sexual offenses against a child in 2024 had a median adjudged confinement of 45 months (3.8 years), higher than the 36-month median for all years from 2016 to 2025. In fiscal year 2024, federal court sentenced 544 people for child-victim sexual abuse, enticement,

  • Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement Sentences in 2023: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    In fiscal year 2023, 546 people were sentenced in federal court for child-victim sexual abuse, enticement, and travel offenses, with a median prison term of 120 months (10 years); 83% pleaded guilty, the lowest rate in the yearly table. Courts-martial with 2023 trial dates recorded 58 convictions fo

  • Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement Sentences in 2022: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    Federal court sentenced 607 people for child-victim sexual abuse, enticement, and travel offenses in fiscal year 2022, more than in any other year from 2016 to 2025, with a median prison term of 120 months (10 years). Courts-martial with 2022 trial dates recorded 58 convictions for sexual offenses a

  • Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement Sentences in 2021: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

    All 79 court-martial convictions for sexual offenses against a child in 2021 included confinement, and the median adjudged confinement was 36 months (3 years). In fiscal year 2021, 429 people were sentenced in federal court for child-victim sexual abuse, enticement, and travel offenses, and the medi

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