How Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Handled Drug Cases (Article 112a), 2014–2017
The records show 14 courts-martial charging Article 112a (drug) at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii from 2014 to 2017. 21% of these cases were contested, higher than the 11% in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases. The median confinement was 3 months, compared with 5 months service-wide.
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Trends › By Installation › Pearl Harbor, Hawaii › Article 112a, 2014–2017
Short answer: The records show 14 courts-martial charging Article 112a (drug) at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii from 2014 to 2017. 21% of these cases were contested, higher than the 11% in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases. The median confinement was 3 months, compared with 5 months service-wide.
More NCOs Than Usual
7 of the accused were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), 6 were junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), and 1 was an officer or warrant officer. Across all Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases in 2014–2017, 78% of the accused were junior enlisted, so the group at Pearl Harbor was more senior.
How Many Cases Were Contested
11 accused pleaded guilty. 3 entered a not-guilty or mixed plea, which makes a case contested. The contested share was 21%, higher than the 11% in Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases overall.
Sentences to Confinement
The 14 cases produced 13 convictions, and all 13 sentences included confinement. The median confinement was 3 months, lower than the 5 months for all Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases in 2014–2017. A quarter of the confinement sentences were 5 months or longer.
These figures are adjudged sentences. They are the sentence announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case.
Bad-Conduct and Dishonorable Discharges
8 of the 12 enlisted members convicted received a punitive discharge: 7 bad-conduct discharges and 1 dishonorable discharge. In Navy and Marine Corps Article 112a cases overall, the share was 71%.
1 officer or warrant officer was convicted, and none was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Drug Charges Alone or With Other Charges
7 of the 14 cases charged Article 112a alone. Service-wide, 118 of 298 Article 112a cases charged it alone. Article 107 (false official statement) was the most common other charge, in 6 cases. Article 113 (misbehavior of a sentinel) and Article 134 (general article) appeared in 1 case each.
2 of the 14 cases were general courts-martial (14%), compared with 21% across the Navy and Marine Corps. The rest were special courts-martial, which cap confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Years and Share of All Cases
The trials ran from March 2014 to December 2017. There were 3 in 2014, 2 in 2015, 2 in 2016, and 7 in 2017. Drug cases were 23% of the 61 courts-martial at Pearl Harbor in 2014–2017.
What These Records Do Not Include
These trials took place before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. The records give trial dates but not offense dates, and they do not describe the evidence or plea terms. Drug cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation are not included. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea, so plea counts use only the records that list one.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 112a on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Courts-martial tried at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 2014–2017 that charged Article 112a (14 cases), compared with every Navy and Marine Corps case charging Article 112a in those years.
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
- Pearl Harbor, Hawaii: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Article 112a (Wrongful Use, Possession of Controlled Substances): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- What Was Tried at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 2013–2018? 83 Courts-Martial
- Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 39 Cases
- What Was Tried at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 2024–2026? 25 Courts-Martial
- Is Navy-Marine Corps Drug Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 112a, 2017–2025
- 20 Drug Courts-Martial at Jacksonville, Florida, 2013–2018: What the Records Show
- 42 Drug Courts-Martial at Camp Pendleton, California, 2017–2018: What the Records Show
- 78 Drug Courts-Martial at Camp Pendleton, California, 2019–2023: What the Records Show
- S3 E52: What You Need to Know About Positive UAs in the Military (podcast, members)
- Article 112a explained on the law firm's website
Compare: federal court. Federal Law Has No Crime of Drug Use: How Article 112a Cases Compare · Drug Distribution and Importation: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences, 2016–2025
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.