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
Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement Convictions of NCOs (E-5 to E-9): Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court
Noncommissioned officers (E-5 to E-9) convicted by court-martial of sexual offenses against a child had a median adjudged confinement of 53.9 months (4.5 years) across 224 convictions. The median for all ranks was 36 months. The median federal prison term was 120 months (10 years), and federal recor
Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement Convictions of Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court
Junior enlisted service members (E-1 to E-4) convicted by court-martial of sexual offenses against a child had a median adjudged confinement of 30 months (2.5 years) across 352 convictions. The median for all ranks was 36 months. The median federal prison term was 120 months (10 years). Federal reco
Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Federal Sentences vs. Marine Corps Courts-Martial
Marine Corps records show the highest guilty plea share of any service for sexual offenses against a child: 111 of 117 convictions with a plea recorded (95%). The median confinement was 36 months (3 years) across 135 convictions. The federal median prison term was 120 months (10 years), and the fede
Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Federal Sentences vs. Navy Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
In the Navy, 110 of 117 convictions for sexual offenses against a child (94%) included confinement, the lowest share among the services. The median confinement was 36 months (3 years). In federal court, the median prison term was 120 months (10 years) for 4,971 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016
Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
Only 40% of Air Force convictions for sexual offenses against a child with a plea recorded were guilty pleas: 46 of 114. The median confinement was 36 months (3 years) across 181 convictions, compared with a federal median prison term of 120 months (10 years). Air Force plea records are incomplete,
Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial
Army courts-martial that ended in a conviction for sexual offenses against a child had a median confinement of 45 months (3.8 years) in the 172 convictions in the records. In federal court, the median prison term was 120 months (10 years) for 4,971 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The
Plea Agreements: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 472,754 of 642,522 people sentenced in federal court after a guilty plea (74%) had a written plea agreement. In courts-martial with a guilty plea and a plea-agreement entry, 4,020 of 4,118 (98%) had a plea agreement. The numbers come from separate record systems, and Ai
Guilty Pleas in 2025: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial
The 2025 federal share of guilty pleas among all cases that ended was 92%, the highest in the table: 75,151 of 82,042 defendants. In 2025, 669 of 959 courts-martial with a plea on record (70%) were guilty pleas, the same rate as in 2020.
Guilty Pleas in 2024: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial
In 2024, 702 of 1,046 courts-martial with a plea on record (67%) were guilty pleas. In federal court in fiscal year 2024, 59,922 of 61,678 people sentenced (97%) pleaded guilty, and 220 of 1,723 federal trials (13%) ended in an acquittal.
Guilty Pleas in 2023: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial
Federal dismissals were 9% of the 72,255 defendants whose cases ended in fiscal year 2023, and trials were 3%. In 2023, 634 of 997 courts-martial with a plea on record (64%) were guilty pleas, compared with 97% of 64,124 people sentenced in federal court.
Guilty Pleas in 2022: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial
In fiscal year 2022, 79% of federal guilty pleas among people sentenced came with a written plea agreement, and 62,527 of 64,142 sentenced people (97%) pleaded guilty. Among 1,099 courts-martial with a 2022 trial date and a plea on record, 688 (63%) were guilty pleas.
Guilty Pleas in 2021: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial
Courts-martial with a 2021 trial date and a plea on record numbered 1,214, and 753 (62%) were guilty pleas. In fiscal year 2021, 56,324 of 57,287 people sentenced in federal court (98%) pleaded guilty, and 196 of 1,081 federal trials (18%) ended in an acquittal.
Go deeper: Military Trial Results (every case, members) · Know Your Judge · Learn Your Lawyer (free)
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