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
Drug Use Convictions of Officers and Warrant Officers: Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court
Officers and warrant officers had 41 court-martial convictions for wrongful drug use (Article 112a) with trial dates from 2016 to 2025, and 26 of them were dismissed. Confinement was part of 73% of the sentences, and the median was 2.7 months. Federal law has no crime of drug use, so the federal sid
Drug Use Convictions of NCOs (E-5 to E-9): Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court
Among noncommissioned officers (E-5 to E-9), court-martial convictions for wrongful drug use (Article 112a) numbered 174 for trials from 2016 to 2025. Confinement was part of 76% of the sentences, and the median was 3 months. Federal law has no crime of drug use, so the federal side is simple posses
Drug Use Convictions of Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) account for 853 of the 1,071 court-martial convictions for wrongful drug use (Article 112a) with trial dates from 2016 to 2025. Of those 853, 91% received confinement, and the median confinement was 3 months. Federal law has no crime of drug use, so the federal s
Drug Use: Sentences After a Guilty Plea vs. After Trial, Federal Court and Courts-Martial
In courts-martial for wrongful drug use (Article 112a), the median confinement was 3 months after a guilty plea and 3 months in contested cases that ended in conviction. In federal court, the median prison term was 6 months after a guilty plea and 84 months after a trial. Federal law has no crime of
Guilty Pleas in Drug Use Cases: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial
Among 714 courts-martial for wrongful drug use (Article 112a) with a plea recorded, 454 were guilty pleas, which is 64%. In federal court, 6,160 of 6,268 people sentenced for simple possession pleaded guilty, which is 98%. Federal law has no crime of drug use, so simple possession is the nearest cha
Drug Use: Federal Sentences vs. Marine Corps Courts-Martial
In Marine Corps courts-martial with trial dates from 2017 to 2025, 78% of the 113 enlisted members convicted of wrongful drug use (Article 112a) received a punitive discharge. Confinement was part of 93% of the 115 sentences, and the median was 5 months. Federal law has no crime of drug use, so the
Drug Use: Federal Sentences vs. Navy Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
Navy courts-martial from 2016 to 2025 had 80 convictions for wrongful drug use (Article 112a), and 66 of them included confinement, which is 83%. The median confinement was 3.9 months. Federal law has no crime of drug use, so the federal side is simple possession, the nearest charge, and the match i
Drug Use: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
Air Force courts-martial from 2016 to 2025 produced 812 convictions for wrongful drug use (Article 112a), more than any other service in the records. Confinement was part of 87% of the sentences, and the median confinement was 3 months. Federal law has no crime of drug use, so the federal comparison
Drug Use: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial
Army courts-martial with trial dates from 2016 to 2025 ended in 64 convictions for wrongful drug use (Article 112a). Confinement was part of the sentence in 86% of them, and the median confinement was 4.9 months. Federal law has no crime of drug use, so the federal side here is simple possession, th
Drug Possession 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 drug possession. Court-martial convictions with confinement were 95% of 62 cases tried in 2022 and 2023, and 67% of 43 cases tried in 2024 and 2025. The median adjudged confinement was 3 months in the first period and 3
Drug Possession Convictions of Officers and Warrant Officers: Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court
The court-martial records list 14 convictions for drug possession of officers and warrant officers, and all 14 were at a general court-martial. Of the 14, 9 officers were dismissed, 79% received confinement, and the median adjudged confinement was 5.9 months. In federal court, the median prison term
Drug Possession Convictions of NCOs (E-5 to E-9): Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court
The records list 40 court-martial convictions for drug possession of NCOs (E-5 to E-9) with trial dates from 2016 to 2025. Of those, 93% included confinement, and the median adjudged confinement was 3.9 months. In federal court, the median prison term for simple possession was 6 months. The NCO grou
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