What Pensacola, Florida Tried in 2016
In 2016, Pensacola, Florida held 14 courts-martial, and 10 of them were general courts-martial (71%), compared with 49% across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2016. The median confinement was 1 year, compared with 6 months.
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Trends › By Installation › Pensacola, Florida › 2016
Short answer: In 2016, Pensacola, Florida held 14 courts-martial, and 10 of them were general courts-martial (71%), compared with 49% across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2016. The median confinement was 1 year, compared with 6 months. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 62% of the cases with charges listed, compared with 38%.
Mostly General Courts-Martial
There were 10 general courts-martial and 4 special courts-martial. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge or dismissal. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Every Conviction Included Confinement
The 14 cases produced 10 convictions on at least one charge, and all 10 sentences included confinement (100%). The median confinement was 1 year. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, the median was 6 months.
A quarter of the confinement sentences were 3 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case.
Among convicted enlisted members, 6 of 8 received a punitive discharge, meaning a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge.
Contested Pleas and Acquittals
The plea is listed in 13 of the 14 records. In 7 of those, the accused contested at least one charge, and in 6 the accused pleaded guilty. The contested share, 54%, was higher than the 27% across the Navy and Marine Corps.
Of the 6 contested cases that reached a verdict, 3 ended in a full acquittal.
What Was Charged
Charges are listed for 13 of the 14 cases. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 8 cases. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 4 cases (31%), compared with 21% across the Navy and Marine Corps.
Article 114 (dueling) appeared in 2 cases (15%), compared with 2% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Drug charges under Article 112a appeared in only 1 case (8%), compared with 26% across the Navy and Marine Corps. A case with several articles counts under each.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 8 | 62% | 38% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 4 | 31% | 21% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 2 | 15% | 9% |
| Art. 134 General article | 2 | 15% | 12% |
| Art. 114 Dueling | 2 | 15% | 2% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 2 | 15% | 13% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 1 | 8% | 6% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 1 | 8% | 26% |
Officers Among the Accused
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) and NCOs each made up 43% of the accused, and officers made up 14%. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, junior enlisted members were 51% of the accused.
Mayport and Bremerton in 2016
Mayport, Florida tried 27 cases and Bremerton, Washington tried 37. Pensacola had the longest median confinement of these installations, at 1 year, compared with 8 months at Mayport and 5 months at Bremerton. Its contested share, 54%, was also the highest, compared with 23% and 3%.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pensacola, Florida | 14 | 54% | 3 of 6 | 1 year | 6 of 8 |
| Mayport, Florida | 27 | 23% | 2 of 6 | 8 months | 68% |
| Bremerton, Washington | 37 | 3% | 1 of 1 | 5 months | 56% |
Limits and the Rules at the Time
These trials came before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. Later changes such as fixed panel sizes and written plea agreements did not apply.
Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea, and plea counts here use only records that list it. The records show the charges, pleas, findings, and sentence, but not the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Pensacola, Florida with a trial date in 2016 (14 cases).
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
- Pensacola, Florida: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- Pensacola, Florida in 2015: 16 Courts-Martial, Year in Review (previous / next)
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Pensacola, Florida: 2017 (previous / next)
- Pensacola, Florida, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 74 Cases (the whole period)
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2015
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2017
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2018
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2020
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
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.