Parris Island, South Carolina Before and After 2024: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
Parris Island, South Carolina tried 17 courts-martial from 2024 to 2026, about 6 a year, compared with about 9 a year in 2019–2023. The median confinement was 10 months, compared with 6 months across the Navy and Marine Corps.
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Trends › By Installation › Parris Island, South Carolina › Before and after 2024
Short answer: Parris Island, South Carolina tried 17 courts-martial from 2024 to 2026, about 6 a year, compared with about 9 a year in 2019–2023. The median confinement was 10 months, compared with 6 months across the Navy and Marine Corps. The contested share went from 30% to 44%, and punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 82% to 60%.
Confinement Longer Than the Service Median
Of 15 convictions, 67% included confinement. Half of those terms were 10 months or less, while the median across the whole Navy and Marine Corps was 6 months. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 1.9 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case.
Changes Since 2019–2023
In 2019–2023, Parris Island had 44 cases over the 5 years with cases on record. The median confinement went from 11 months to 10 months. Convictions with confinement went from 83% to 67%, and general courts-martial went from 45% to 35% of cases.
Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict were 0 of 6 in the earlier period and 1 of 7 in the later one. A few cases can move these figures, so they show direction rather than exact size.
| 2019–2023 | 2024–2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 44 | 17 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 30% | 44% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 0 of 6 | 1 of 7 |
| Convictions with confinement | 83% | 67% |
| Median confinement | 11 months | 10 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 82% | 60% |
| General courts-martial | 45% | 35% |
Pleas
16 of the 17 records list the plea: 9 guilty pleas and 7 contested cases. A contested case is one with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share, 44%, was higher than the 36% across the Navy and Marine Corps.
Charges
16 of the 17 records list the charges. Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) was charged in 31% of cases, compared with 19% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. Article 80 (attempts) appeared in 25%, compared with 7%, and Article 134 (general article) also appeared in 25%.
Article 128b (domestic violence) and Article 128 (assault) each appeared in 19% of cases. Article 115 (communicating threats), Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child), and Article 107 (false official statements) each appeared in 12%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 5 | 31% | 19% |
| Art. 134 General article | 4 | 25% | 21% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 4 | 25% | 7% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 3 | 19% | 12% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 3 | 19% | 15% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 2 | 12% | 5% |
| Art. 115 Communicating threats | 2 | 12% | 2% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 2 | 12% | 5% |
Punitive Discharges
Among 15 enlisted members convicted, 9 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (60%), compared with 52% across the Navy and Marine Corps. 3 of the 9 were dishonorable. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Rank and Court Level
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 69% of the accused and NCOs 31%. No officers appear. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, junior enlisted members were 59%.
6 of the 17 cases were general courts-martial (35%), close to the 38% service share. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Washington, D.C. and Yokosuka
Washington, D.C. and Yokosuka, Japan each tried 21 Navy and Marine Corps cases in the same years. Both had a contested share of 33%. Their median confinement was 3 months and 5 months, both shorter than the 10 months at Parris Island.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parris Island, South Carolina | 17 | 44% | 1 of 7 | 10 months | 60% |
| Washington, D.C. | 21 | 33% | 2 of 7 | 3 months | 21% |
| Yokosuka, Japan | 21 | 33% | 3 of 7 | 5 months | 69% |
Law Changes and Record Limits
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault and domestic violence. New sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, so trials from 2024 on include cases under both sets of rules. The records also leave out nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, the evidence, and plea terms.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Parris Island, South Carolina in 2019–2023 (44) and 2024–2026 (17).
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Parris Island, South Carolina: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Inside 44 Courts-Martial at Parris Island, South Carolina, 2019–2023
- Parris Island, South Carolina, 2017–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 20 Cases
- Parris Island, South Carolina, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 17 Cases
- Parris Island, South Carolina Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Bremerton, Washington Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Bremerton, Washington Before and After 2024: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Great Lakes, Illinois Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Parris Island, South Carolina, 2024–2026
Names and links only. Each judge's record of pleas, findings, and sentences is on their Know Your Judge page, part of the Court-Martial Characters membership.
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.