Parris Island, South Carolina, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 17 Cases
The records hold 17 courts-martial at Parris Island, South Carolina from 2024–2026, and 11 of them were tried in 2024. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) was the most common charge, in 31% of the cases with charges listed.
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Trends › By Installation › Parris Island, South Carolina › 2024–2026
Short answer: The records hold 17 courts-martial at Parris Island, South Carolina from 2024–2026, and 11 of them were tried in 2024. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) was the most common charge, in 31% of the cases with charges listed. Convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge in 9 of 15 cases (60%), and the median confinement was 10 months.
What Was Charged
The charges appear in 16 of the 17 records, and each article is counted once per case. Article 92 was charged in 5 cases (31%). The share for all Navy and Marine Corps cases was 19%.
Attempts under Article 80 were charged in 4 cases (25%), compared with 7% service-wide. Article 134, the general article, was also charged in 4. Article 128b (domestic violence) and Article 128 (assault) were charged in 3 each. Article 107 (false official statements), Article 115 (communicating threats), and Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) were charged in 2 each.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the whole Navy and Marine Corps docket |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% |
When the Cases Were Tried
The first case was tried in January 2024 and the last in May 2026. By year there were 11 in 2024, 2 in 2025, and 4 in 2026, which is a partial year. Together they are 2% of the 1,013 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in those years.
In 2019–2023, Parris Island tried 44 cases, about 9 a year. The pace since then has been about 6 a year.
Who Was Tried, and at What Level
Of the accused, 69% were junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) and 31% were NCOs. No officer was tried. The junior enlisted share for the whole service was 59%.
6 of the 17 cases were general courts-martial (35%). The service-wide figure was 38%. The other cases were special courts-martial, where confinement is capped at 1 year and a dishonorable discharge is not available.
Discharges
There were 15 convicted enlisted members. Of them, 6 received a bad-conduct discharge and 3 a dishonorable discharge, 9 in all (60%). For all Navy and Marine Corps cases the figure was 52%, and at Parris Island in 2019–2023 it was 82%.
Those sentenced without a punitive discharge may still be separated administratively, which these records do not cover.
Length of Confinement
10 of the 15 convictions carried confinement. The median term was 10 months. Across the Navy and Marine Corps it was 6 months, and at Parris Island in 2019–2023 it was 11 months. At least a quarter of the terms were 1.9 years or longer.
The terms are the ones announced at trial. They do not reflect later plea-agreement limits, clemency, or appeals.
| 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% |
Guilty Pleas and Contested Cases
A plea appears in 16 records. The accused pleaded guilty in 9 and pleaded not guilty or mixed in 7, so 44% were contested. The figure for the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps was 36%, and for Parris Island in 2019–2023 it was 30%.
1 of the 7 contested cases with a verdict ended in a full acquittal.
Peer Locations in the Same Years
Washington, D.C. and Yokosuka, Japan tried 21 cases each over the same years. Each had 33% contested. Their median terms were 3 months and 5 months, and their punitive discharge rates were 21% and 69%.
| 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% |
What Cannot Be Read From These Records
Special trial counsel have decided whether to prosecute covered offenses, such as sexual assault and murder, since December 28, 2023. Sentencing parameters govern cases where every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. With only trial dates available, the records cannot show which cases fell under which rules. The evidence, plea terms, and misconduct handled without a court-martial are also missing.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial in the data tried at Parris Island, South Carolina with a trial date in 2024–2026 (17 cases), compared with all 1,013 Navy and Marine Corps trials in those years. Dates are trial dates.
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)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Parris Island, South Carolina, 2017–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 20 Cases (another period)
- Inside 44 Courts-Martial at Parris Island, South Carolina, 2019–2023 (another period)
- Mayport, Florida, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 15 Cases (same years, similar size)
- Pensacola, Florida, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 15 Cases (same years, similar size)
- Bremerton, Washington Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 52 Cases Show
- Bremerton, Washington, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 221 Cases
- Bremerton, Washington, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 153 Cases
- 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.