Understanding Trends in Military Practice

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• Producing Child Pornography Convictions of NCOs (E-5 to E-9): Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court

  Courts-martial convicted 24 NCOs (E-5 to E-9) of producing child pornography (images of child exploitation) with trial dates from 2016 to 2025. The median adjudged confinement was 95.9 months, a little higher than the 89.9 months for all ranks. The median federal prison term for 5,806 people sentenc

• Producing Child Pornography Convictions of Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court

  Courts-martial convicted 34 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) of producing child pornography (images of child exploitation). The median adjudged confinement was 60 months, lower than the 89.9 months for all ranks combined. Federal court sentenced 5,806 people under the production guideline in fis

• Guilty Pleas in Producing Child Pornography Cases: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial

  Of 53 courts-martial charging producing child pornography (images of child exploitation) with a plea recorded, 44 (83%) were guilty pleas. In federal court, 94% of 5,806 people sentenced under the production guideline pleaded guilty, and 89% of 4,771 defendants charged under 18 U.S.C. 2251 whose cas

• Producing Child Pornography: Federal Sentences vs. Marine Corps Courts-Martial

  Marine Corps courts-martial produced 19 convictions for producing child pornography (images of child exploitation), with trial dates from 2018 to 2025. The median adjudged confinement was 95.9 months, and 18 of the 19 convictions followed a guilty plea. Federal courts sentenced 5,806 people under th

• Producing Child Pornography: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025

  Air Force courts-martial convicted 18 people of producing child pornography (images of child exploitation) with trial dates from 2016 to 2025. All 18 were sentenced to confinement, and the median was 61.1 months. Federal courts sentenced 5,806 people under the production guideline in fiscal years 20

• Producing Child Pornography: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial

  The Army records show 12 convictions for producing child pornography (images of child exploitation). The median adjudged confinement was 41 months, and 10 of the 12 (83%) included confinement. In federal court, 5,806 people were sentenced under the production guideline in fiscal years 2016 to 2025,

• Child Pornography Sentences Since the 2023 Military Sentencing Reform: What the Data Shows So Far

  Court-martial confinement for child pornography (images of child exploitation) had a median of 23 months for trials in 2022 and 2023 and 18 months for trials in 2024 and 2025. Federal prison terms had medians of 96 months and 97 months in the matching fiscal years. It may be too early to tell what t

• Child Pornography Convictions of Officers and Warrant Officers: Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court

  Officers and warrant officers have 17 court-martial convictions for child pornography (images of child exploitation), the smallest rank group in the records. The median adjudged confinement was 32.8 months, the highest of the rank groups. The federal median prison term was 90 months for 13,646 peopl

• Child Pornography Convictions of NCOs (E-5 to E-9): Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court

  Noncommissioned officers (E-5 to E-9) have 151 court-martial convictions for child pornography (images of child exploitation), and all 151 included confinement. The median adjudged confinement was 20.7 months. In federal court, the median prison term was 90 months for 13,646 people sentenced in fisc

• Child Pornography Convictions of Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court

  Junior enlisted service members (E-1 to E-4) have 320 court-martial convictions for child pornography (images of child exploitation) in the records, with a median adjudged confinement of 22.5 months. That is the same median as for all ranks combined. The federal median prison term was 90 months for

• Child Pornography Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Marine Corps Courts-Martial

  Of 22 contested Marine Corps courts-martial for child pornography (images of child exploitation) that reached a verdict from 2020 to 2025, none ended in a full acquittal, and 2 were partial acquittals (9%). In federal court, 4 of 51 bench trials ended in an acquittal. The Marine Corps group is small

• Child Pornography Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Navy Courts-Martial

  Of 21 contested Navy courts-martial for child pornography (images of child exploitation) that reached a verdict from 2016 to 2025, none ended in a full acquittal, and 6 were partial acquittals (29%). Federal trials ended in an acquittal in 9 of 328 cases. The Navy records usually do not show whether

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