> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Inside 44 Courts-Martial at Parris Island, South Carolina, 2019–2023 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/parris-island-south-carolina-courts-martial-2019-2023/ - Published: 2026-10-28T06:31:35.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:03:16.000Z - Description: From 2019–2023, 44 cases at Parris Island, South Carolina reached a court-martial. The median adjudged confinement was 11 months, compared with 6 months across the Navy and Marine Corps. 82% of enlisted convictions included a punitive discharge, compared with 63% service-wide. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Parris Island, South Carolina, Navy-Marine Corps [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Parris Island, South Carolina](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-parris-island-south-carolina/) › 2019–2023 **Short answer:** From 2019–2023, 44 cases at Parris Island, South Carolina reached a court-martial. The median adjudged confinement was 11 months, compared with 6 months across the Navy and Marine Corps. 82% of enlisted convictions included a punitive discharge, compared with 63% service-wide. Based on 44 cases · 2019–2023 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Longer Confinement Than the Rest of the Service Of the 44 cases, 41 ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 34 of those sentences included confinement (83%). The median confinement was 11 months. Across the Navy and Marine Corps in the same years, the median was 6 months. A quarter of the confinement sentences here were 1.6 years or longer. These figures are adjudged sentences, meaning the sentence announced at trial. A plea-agreement cap, clemency, or an appeal could later shorten the time served. Each sentence covers every charge in the case, not a single offense. Most of the difference is in the middle of the range. Sentences of 6 months to 1 year were 37% of convictions here, compared with 24% service-wide. Sentences under 6 months were 20%, compared with 35%. Sentences of more than 1 year but under 5 years were 22%, compared with 19%. The share with no confinement (17%) and the share with 5 years or more (5%) were the same as in the service as a whole. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------- | | No confinement | 7 | 17% | 17% | | Under 6 months | 8 | 20% | 35% | | 6 months to 1 year | 15 | 37% | 24% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 9 | 22% | 19% | | 5 years or more | 2 | 5% | 5% | ## Punitive Discharges Were More Common A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for an enlisted member. 82% of enlisted convictions at Parris Island included one: 26 bad-conduct discharges and 7 dishonorable discharges. The Navy and Marine Corps rate was 63%. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. Administrative separations do not appear in court-martial records. ## Orders Violations and Larceny Were More Common Charge shares use the 41 cases whose records list charges. A single case can count under several articles. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) appeared in 34% of cases here, against 18% across the service. Article 121 (larceny) appeared in 20%, against 9%. Article 107 (false official statements) appeared in 17% of cases, compared with 8%. Article 131b (obstructing justice) appeared in 12%, compared with 6%. Article 128 (assault) was less common: 22% of cases here, compared with 31% service-wide. Drug cases under Article 112a appeared in 29%, compared with 25%. | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps-wide | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | --------------------------------- | | [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 14 | 34% | 18% | | [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 12 | 29% | 25% | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 10 | 24% | 18% | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 9 | 22% | 31% | | [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny | 8 | 20% | 9% | | [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault | 7 | 17% | 14% | | [Art. 107](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com) False official statements | 7 | 17% | 8% | | Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 5 | 12% | 6% | ## Results for the Most Common Charges Every case charging one of the most common articles ended in a conviction on that article. That was 14 cases for Article 92, 12 for Article 112a, 10 for Article 134 (the general article), and 9 for Article 128. Median confinement differed by charge. It was 11 months when the conviction included Article 92, 1.3 years for Article 112a, 1 year for Article 134, and 10 months for Article 128\. One case can include several articles, so these rows overlap. Each median covers the whole sentence in those cases. | Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it | | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- | | Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 14 | 14 (100%) | 11 months | | Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 12 | 12 (100%) | 1.3 years | | Art. 134 General article | 10 | 10 (100%) | 1 year | | Art. 128 Assault | 9 | 9 (9 of 9) | 10 months | ## Pleas Where the Record Shows Them A case counts as contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Only 20 of the 44 records list a plea. Of those, 6 were contested and 14 were guilty pleas. That is 30% contested. In the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps, the contested share was 31%. 0 of the 6 contested cases ended in a full acquittal. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea, so these counts use only the records that list one. The records do not show why an accused pleaded guilty or contested the charges. ## Court Levels and Rank General courts-martial tried 20 of the 44 cases (45%), about the same as the 44% service-wide. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. The median confinement was 1.6 years in the 20 general courts-martial and 7 months in the 24 special courts-martial. By rank, 26 of the accused were junior enlisted members, 14 were NCOs, and 0 were officers. That mix is similar to the service overall. ## Changes Since 2017–2018 In 2017–2018, the 2 years with cases on record, Parris Island had 20 cases, about 10 a year. It has had about 9 a year since, counting full years only. By year: 7 in 2019, 14 in 2020, 6 in 2021, 4 in 2022, and 13 in 2023\. The 44 cases were 2% of the 1,991 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in those years. The median confinement was 2 years in 2017–2018 and 11 months in 2019–2023\. The punitive discharge rate for convicted enlisted members was 63% earlier and 82% later. The share of convictions with confinement was 80% earlier and 83% later. The general court-martial share was 50% earlier and 45% later. With groups this small, a few cases can change a figure, so these changes show direction, not precise size. | | 2017–2018 | 2019–2023 | | ----------------------------- | --------- | --------- | | Cases | 20 | 44 | | Contested (of pleas recorded) | 0 of 1 | 30% | | Convictions with confinement | 80% | 83% | | Median confinement | 2 years | 11 months | | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 63% | 82% | | General courts-martial | 50% | 45% | ## How Similar Installations Compare MCAS Miramar, California and Pensacola, Florida tried a similar number of cases in the same years, 42 each. Parris Island had the longest median confinement of the 3: 11 months, compared with 6 months at Miramar and 3 months at Pensacola. It also had the highest punitive discharge rate: 82%, compared with 66% and 56%. Pensacola had 59% of its cases contested, and 14 of its 24 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. Miramar had the same contested share as Parris Island, 30%. Both had 0 full acquittals in 6 contested cases that reached a verdict. | Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | | ----------------------------- | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- | | Parris Island, South Carolina | 44 | 30% | 0 of 6 | 11 months | 82% | | MCAS Miramar, California | 42 | 30% | 0 of 6 | 6 months | 66% | | Pensacola, Florida | 42 | 59% | 14 of 24 | 3 months | 56% | ## What the Records Cannot Show Trial records list charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not show the evidence, the terms of any plea agreement, or misconduct handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation. Missing plea data in older Navy and Marine Corps records also limits the comparisons. Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Every court-martial in the data tried at Parris Island, South Carolina with a trial date in 2019–2023 (44 cases), compared with all 1,991 Navy and Marine Corps trials in those years. Dates are trial dates. Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com. ## Related Analysis - [Parris Island, South Carolina: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-parris-island-south-carolina/) (hub) - [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial/) (hub) - [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub) - [Parris Island, South Carolina, 2017–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 20 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/parris-island-south-carolina-courts-martial-2017-2018/) (another period) - [Parris Island, South Carolina, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 17 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/parris-island-south-carolina-courts-martial-2024-2026/) (another period) - [MCAS Miramar, California, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 42 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/mcas-miramar-california-courts-martial-2019-2023/) (same years, similar size) - [What Was Tried at Pensacola, Florida, 2019–2023? 42 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/pensacola-florida-courts-martial-2019-2023/) (same years, similar size) - [Bremerton, Washington Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 52 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2024-2026/) - [Bremerton, Washington, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 221 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2013-2018/) - [Bremerton, Washington, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 153 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2019-2023/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) ← Previous: [Parris Island, South Carolina, 2017–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 20 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/parris-island-south-carolina-courts-martial-2017-2018/)Next: [Parris Island, South Carolina, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 17 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/parris-island-south-carolina-courts-martial-2024-2026/) → ## Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Parris Island, South Carolina, 2019–2023 - [Eric Catto](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-eric-catto/) - [Nicholas Henry](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-nicholas-henry/) - [Ryan Lipton](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-ryan-lipton/) - [Benjamin Robertson](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-benjamin-robertson/) - [Adam Workman](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-adam-workman/) 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judges/) 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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.