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
Federal Theft and Fraud Sentences With No Dollar Loss, FY2016–2025
Of 2,207 people sentenced in federal court for theft or fraud with a dollar loss band of no loss, 1,522 (69%) received a prison term and 596 (27%) received probation only. The median prison term was 5.2 months. The band covers fiscal years 2016 to 2025 and counts only people who were convicted and s
§2K1.1 Failure to Report Theft of Explosive Materials: Federal Sentences, FY2016–2025
Of 21 people sentenced in federal court under guideline §2K1.1 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 16 (76%) received probation only and 5 (24%) received a prison term. The median prison term among those 5 was 5.7 months. No case carried a mandatory minimum.
§2B1.5 Theft of, Damage to, or Destruction of, Cultural Heritage Resources: Federal Sentences, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 122 people were sentenced under §2B1.5, the guideline for theft of, damage to, or destruction of cultural heritage resources. Prison and probation only each applied to 56 people (46%). The median prison term was 11.8 months.
Theft and Fraud Sentences Since the 2023 Military Sentencing Reform: What the Data Shows So Far
It may be too early to tell what the 2023 military sentencing reform changed for larceny, theft, and fraud (Article 121). In the court-martial data, the median adjudged confinement was 3.4 months for 124 convictions at trials in 2022 and 2023, and 3 months for 136 convictions at trials in 2024 and 2
Theft and Fraud Convictions of Officers and Warrant Officers: Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court
The court-martial records show 29 convictions of officers and warrant officers for larceny, theft, and fraud (Article 121) with trial dates from 2016 to 2025. Confinement was adjudged in 14 of them (48%), and the median was 1.4 months. In federal court, 73% of the 53,639 people sentenced under guide
Theft and Fraud Convictions of NCOs (E-5 to E-9): Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court
Courts-martial convicted 255 NCOs (E-5 to E-9) of larceny, theft, and fraud under Article 121, with trial dates from 2016 to 2025. Confinement was adjudged in 73% of those convictions, the same share as federal prison sentences under guideline §2B1.1. The median confinement was 4 months, compared wi
Theft and Fraud Convictions of Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court
Junior enlisted service members (E-1 to E-4) were convicted in 337 courts-martial for larceny, theft, and fraud (Article 121) with trial dates from 2016 to 2025. Confinement was part of 90% of those sentences, and the median was 5.9 months. In federal court, 73% of 53,639 people sentenced under guid
Theft and Fraud Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Marine Corps Courts-Martial
None of the 21 contested Marine Corps courts-martial for larceny, theft, and fraud (Article 121) that reached a verdict from 2020 to 2025 ended in a full acquittal (0%). Another 3 (14%) were partial acquittals. In federal court, 38 of 164 trials of defendants charged with theft of government propert
Theft and Fraud Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Navy Courts-Martial
Only 1 of 19 contested Navy courts-martial for larceny, theft, and fraud (Article 121) that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (5%). Another 7 (37%) were partial acquittals. In federal court, 38 of 164 trials of defendants charged with theft of government property ended in an acquittal (23%
Theft and Fraud Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Army Courts-Martial
Of 25 contested Army courts-martial for larceny, theft, and fraud (Article 121) that reached a verdict from 2021 to 2025, 5 ended in a full acquittal (20%). Another 14 (56%) were partial acquittals. In federal court, 38 of 164 trials of defendants charged with theft of government property ended in a
Theft and Fraud Charges: How Often Federal Trials and Courts-Martial End in Acquittal
Of 65 contested courts-martial for larceny, theft, and fraud (Article 121) in the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps that reached a verdict, 6 ended in a full acquittal (9%). Another 24 (37%) were partial acquittals. In federal court, 38 of 164 trials of defendants charged under 18 U.S.C. 641 ended in an
Theft and Fraud: Sentences After a Guilty Plea vs. After Trial, Federal Court and Courts-Martial
In federal court, the median prison term was 20 months after a guilty plea and 48 months after a trial in theft and fraud cases sentenced under guideline §2B1.1. In courts-martial for larceny, theft, and fraud (Article 121), the median confinement was 5 months after a guilty plea and 4 months in con
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