Quantico, Virginia, 2013–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look
At Quantico, Virginia, 0 of the 13 contested courts-martial that reached a verdict in 2019–2023 ended in a full acquittal. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, the rate was 29%.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › Quantico, Virginia › Before and after 2019
Short answer: At Quantico, Virginia, 0 of the 13 contested courts-martial that reached a verdict in 2019–2023 ended in a full acquittal. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, the rate was 29%. Article 134, the general article, was charged in 32% of the 70 cases in that period, compared with 18% service-wide.
No Full Acquittals in Contested Cases
A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of 13 contested cases at Quantico that reached a verdict in 2019–2023, 0 ended in a full acquittal. Across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years, the full-acquittal rate was 29%.
Another 4 contested cases ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge or specification, but guilty of another. The records do not show the reasons for any verdict.
Pleas, With Many Records Missing
Only 38 of the 70 records list the plea. Of those, 25 accused pleaded guilty and 13 contested at least one charge. That is 34% contested, about the same as the 31% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea, and these counts use only records that list one.
Guilty pleas differed by charge. Cases charging Article 128 (assault) ended in a guilty plea 71% of the time (10 of 14). Cases charging Article 134 ended in a guilty plea 46% of the time (6 of 13). The records do not show why an accused pleaded guilty or contested the charges.
Compared With 2013–2018
The earlier period, 2013–2018, had 37 cases over the 3 years with cases on record, about 12 a year. In 2019–2023 there were about 14 a year: 12 in 2019, 12 in 2020, 17 in 2021, 15 in 2022, and 14 in 2023. The median confinement went from 3 months to 6 months. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 43% to 60%. Convictions with confinement went from 66% to 75%. General courts-martial went from 41% to 36% of cases.
Only 3 records from the earlier period list a plea, so its contested and acquittal figures cannot be compared. Groups this small change with a few cases, so these changes show direction, not precise size.
| 2013–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 37 | 70 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 1 of 3 | 34% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 0 of 1 | 0 of 13 |
| Convictions with confinement | 66% | 75% |
| Median confinement | 3 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 43% | 60% |
| General courts-martial | 41% | 36% |
The General Article and False Statements
The charge lists cover 60 of the 70 cases. Each article counts once per case. Article 134 (the general article) appeared in 32% of them, compared with 18% Navy and Marine Corps-wide. Article 107 (false official statement) appeared in 17%, compared with 8%. Article 92 (orders violation) appeared in 27%, compared with 18%. Article 128b (domestic violence) appeared in 10%, compared with 3%. Drug charges under Article 112a were less common: 12%, compared with 25%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps-wide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 19 | 32% | 18% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 17 | 28% | 31% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 16 | 27% | 18% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 10 | 17% | 8% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 7 | 12% | 9% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 7 | 12% | 25% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 6 | 10% | 9% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 6 | 10% | 3% |
Convictions on the Leading Charges
Every case charging one of the top 4 articles ended in a conviction on that article: Article 134 in 19 of 19, Article 128 in 17 of 17, Article 92 in 16 of 16, and Article 107 in 10 of 10. The median confinement was 1.2 years for those convicted under Article 134, 10 months under Article 128, 5 months under Article 92, and 4 months under Article 107.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 19 | 19 (100%) | 1.2 years |
| Art. 128 Assault | 17 | 17 (100%) | 10 months |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 16 | 16 (100%) | 5 months |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 10 | 10 (100%) | 4 months |
Sentences About the Same as the Service
75% of the 60 convictions included confinement. The median confinement was 6 months, the same as the 6-month median in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. A quarter of the sentences were 1.5 years or longer. 13 of 60 convictions (22%) carried more than one year, compared with 24%. 25% of convictions carried no confinement, compared with 17%.
The 25 general courts-martial had a median confinement of 1.6 years, and 50% were contested. The 45 special courts-martial had a median of 3 months, and 25% were contested. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 15 | 25% | 17% |
| Under 6 months | 19 | 32% | 35% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 13 | 22% | 24% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 10 | 17% | 19% |
| 5 years or more | 3 | 5% | 5% |
Discharges and Rank
60% of enlisted convictions included a punitive discharge: 23 bad-conduct and 12 dishonorable. Navy and Marine Corps-wide, the rate was 63%. The 1 convicted officer was not dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
The accused were 41 junior enlisted members, 17 NCOs, and 1 officer. That mix is more junior than in the service as a whole, where 64% were junior enlisted. General courts-martial were 36% of cases, compared with 44% service-wide.
Compared With Mayport and Jacksonville
Mayport, Florida and Jacksonville, Florida tried a similar number of cases. Both had full acquittals in contested cases: 11 of 33 at Mayport and 16 of 31 at Jacksonville. Quantico had 0 of 13. Mayport had 48% of cases contested and Jacksonville 41%.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quantico, Virginia | 70 | 34% | 0 of 13 | 6 months | 60% |
| Mayport, Florida | 69 | 48% | 11 of 33 | 6 months | 52% |
| Jacksonville, Florida | 77 | 41% | 16 of 31 | 4 months | 40% |
What the Records Cannot Show
The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not show the evidence or plea terms. Cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation are not included.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Quantico, Virginia in 2013–2018 (37) and 2019–2023 (70).
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
- Quantico, Virginia: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Quantico, Virginia Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 70 Cases Show
- Quantico, Virginia Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 49 Cases Show
- Quantico, Virginia Courts-Martial, 2013–2018: What 37 Cases Show
- Quantico, Virginia, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- Bremerton, Washington Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Bremerton, Washington Before and After 2024: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Great Lakes, Illinois Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Quantico, Virginia, 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.