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Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 39 Cases

The records hold 39 courts-martial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii from 2019–2023. Article 80, attempt, appeared in 33% of cases with charges listed, compared with 9% across the Navy and Marine Corps. The median confinement was 9 months, compared with 6 months service-wide.

Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 7 min read

Trends › By Installation › Pearl Harbor, Hawaii › 2019–2023

Short answer: The records hold 39 courts-martial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii from 2019–2023. Article 80, attempt, appeared in 33% of cases with charges listed, compared with 9% across the Navy and Marine Corps. The median confinement was 9 months, compared with 6 months service-wide.

Based on 39 cases · 2019–2023 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Attempt Charges Were More Common

Of the 39 records, 33 list their charges. Article 80, which covers attempts to commit an offense, appeared in 11 of them (33%), compared with 9% across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years. Article 120b, rape and sexual assault of a child, appeared in 7 cases (21%), compared with 7%.

Article 134, the general article, was the most common charge, in 12 cases (36%, compared with 18%). Article 128, assault, appeared in 11 (33%), about the same as the 31% service-wide. Drug charges under Article 112a were less common: 4 cases (12%), compared with 25%. Article 92, orders violations, appeared in 6%, compared with 18%. A case with several articles counts under each one.

UCMJ ArticleCasesShare hereShare, all Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years
Art. 134 General article1236%18%
Art. 128 Assault1133%31%
Art. 80 Attempts1133%9%
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child721%7%
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault515%14%
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances412%25%
Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct39%4%
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation26%18%

Results for the Most Common Charges

Every case charging Article 134 ended in a conviction on that article (12 of 12). The median confinement for those convicted was 1 year. Every case charging assault also ended in a conviction on that article (11 of 11), with a median of 10 months. Article 80 ended in a conviction in 10 of 11 cases (91%). Its median of 1.5 years was the longest of the 3.

Guilty pleas also differed by charge. Cases charging Article 134 ended in a guilty plea 92% of the time (11 of 12). Cases charging assault ended in a guilty plea 64% of the time (7 of 11). The records do not show why an accused pleaded guilty or contested the charges. One case can include several of these charges, so the rows overlap.

ArticleCases charging itConvicted of it (share)Median confinement when convicted of it
Art. 134 General article1212 (100%)1 year
Art. 128 Assault1111 (100%)10 months
Art. 80 Attempts1110 (91%)1.5 years

Sentences After Conviction

85% of the 34 convictions included confinement. The median confinement was 9 months, compared with 6 months service-wide. A quarter of the sentences were 1.5 years or longer.

11 convictions (32%) carried 6 months to 1 year, compared with 24% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Sentences longer than one year were also more common: 10 of 34 convictions (29%), compared with 24%. Of those 10, 8 were more than 1 year but under 5 years and 2 were 5 years or more. Fewer convictions carried under 6 months: 8 (24%), compared with 35%. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each one covers every charge in its case.

Adjudged confinementConvictionsShare hereShare, the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole
No confinement515%17%
Under 6 months824%35%
6 months to 1 year1132%24%
More than 1 year, under 5 years824%19%
5 years or more26%5%

General and Special Courts-Martial

General courts-martial tried 22 of the 39 cases (56%). A general court-martial can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. 90% of general court-martial convictions included confinement, with a median of 1.2 years. Special courts-martial tried 17 cases. 79% of their convictions included confinement, with a median of 4 months. A special court-martial cannot impose more than one year of confinement.

Rank and Punitive Discharges

The accused were 12 junior enlisted members, 22 NCOs, and 3 officers. That mix is more senior than in the Navy and Marine Corps overall.

A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. 23 of 31 convicted enlisted members received one (74%): 18 bad-conduct and 5 dishonorable. Service-wide, the rate was 63%. Of 3 convicted officers or warrant officers, 1 was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

How Many Cases Were Contested

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of 37 records with a plea, 28 show a guilty plea and 9 show a contested case. That is 24% contested, lower than the 31% across all Navy and Marine Corps cases.

Of the 9 contested cases that reached a verdict, 3 ended in a full acquittal. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea, so these counts use only records that list it.

Compared With 2013–2018

Pearl Harbor had 83 cases in 2013–2018, about 14 a year. It has had about 8 a year since, counting full years only. The contested share was 31% then and 24% since. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict were 9 of 26 then and 3 of 9 since. Median confinement was 6 months then and 9 months since. Punitive discharges for enlisted members were about the same: 75% then and 74% since. Small groups change with a few cases, so these changes show direction, not precise size.

2013–20182019–2023
Cases8339
Contested (of pleas recorded)31%24%
Full acquittals (decided contested)9 of 263 of 9
Convictions with confinement91%85%
Median confinement6 months9 months
Punitive discharge (enlisted)75%74%
General courts-martial55%56%

Compared With Washington, D.C. and MCAS Miramar

Washington, D.C. tried 41 cases in the same years and MCAS Miramar, California 42. Washington, D.C. had 38% of cases contested, and 7 of 15 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. Its median confinement was 8 months, and 59% of enlisted convictions included a punitive discharge. MCAS Miramar had 30% contested, 0 full acquittals in 6 contested cases that reached a verdict, a median confinement of 6 months, and a punitive discharge rate of 66%. Of the 3, Pearl Harbor had the lowest contested share, the longest median confinement, and the highest punitive discharge rate.

InstallationCasesContestedFull acquittals (decided contested)Median confinementPunitive discharge (enlisted)
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii3924%3 of 99 months74%
Washington, D.C.4138%7 of 158 months59%
MCAS Miramar, California4230%0 of 66 months66%

Years Covered and What the Records Cannot Show

The trials took place from January 2019 through November 2023: 11 in 2019, 7 in 2020, 2 in 2021, 13 in 2022, and 6 in 2023. They were 2% of the 1,991 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in those years. Nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations are not included. The records do not show the evidence or the plea terms.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.

How We Counted

Every court-martial in the data tried at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii with a trial date in 2019–2023 (39 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, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.

Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 2019–2023

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.

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