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# San Diego, California Courts-Martial, 2013–2018: What 285 Cases Show
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2013-2018/
- Published: 2026-10-28T06:31:48.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-28T08:21:55.000Z
- Description: San Diego, California tried 285 courts-martial from 2013 through 2018, 14% of the 2,059 Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years. Drug charges under Article 112a were in 31% of cases, compared with 23% service-wide.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, San Diego, California, Navy-Marine Corps

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [San Diego, California](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-san-diego-california/) › 2013–2018

**Short answer:** San Diego, California tried 285 courts-martial from 2013 through 2018, 14% of the 2,059 Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years. Drug charges under Article 112a were in 31% of cases, compared with 23% service-wide. Of 64 contested cases that reached a verdict, 34 ended in a full acquittal (53%), compared with 46% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. The median confinement was 5 months.

Based on 285 cases · 2013–2018 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Drug Charges Were the Most Common

Of the 285 records, 270 list the charges. Article 112a (wrongful use or possession of controlled substances) was the most common charge, in 85 cases, or 31%. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, the share was 23%. Assault under Article 128 was next, in 75 cases (28%), lower than the 37% service-wide. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) was charged in 45 cases (17%), compared with 22%.

Other common charges were larceny under Article 121 (38 cases), orders violations under Article 92 (34), and AWOL under Article 86 (30). Each article counts once per case, so one case can appear in several rows.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                       | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 85    | 31%        | 23%                                         |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                                   | 75    | 28%        | 37%                                         |
| [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault                            | 45    | 17%        | 22%                                         |
| [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny                                   | 38    | 14%        | 13%                                         |
| [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation         | 34    | 13%        | 15%                                         |
| [Art. 86](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-86/?ref=bodiesburied.com) AWOL                                        | 30    | 11%        | 7%                                          |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article                           | 28    | 10%        | 13%                                         |
| [Art. 107](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com) False official statements                 | 27    | 10%        | 12%                                         |

## Conviction Rates Were Very Different by Charge

Every larceny case ended in a conviction on that article (38 of 38), with a median confinement of 6 months. Drug cases ended in a conviction on that article 93% of the time (79 of 85), with a median of 5 months. Assault cases ended in a conviction on that article 73% of the time (55 of 75), with a median of 4 months.

Article 120 had the lowest conviction rate. Only 22 of 45 cases ended in a conviction on that article (49%). Those convictions had a median confinement of 2.9 years. One case can end in a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another, so these rows overlap.

| Article                                                     | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 85                | 79 (93%)                | 5 months                                |
| Art. 128 Assault                                            | 75                | 55 (73%)                | 4 months                                |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault                            | 45                | 22 (49%)                | 2.9 years                               |
| Art. 121 Larceny                                            | 38                | 38 (100%)               | 6 months                                |

## Guilty Pleas by Charge

Of the 279 records that list a plea, 215 were guilty pleas and 64 were contested, meaning the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share of 23% is lower than the 29% for the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole.

The guilty plea rate was different for each charge. Cases charging Article 121 ended in a guilty plea 92% of the time (35 of 38), the highest among the top charges. Cases charging Article 120 ended in a guilty plea only 18% of the time (8 of 44). The records do not say why an accused pleaded guilty or contested.

## Verdicts in Contested Cases

Of the 64 contested cases that reached a verdict, 34 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty of every charge. Another 4 ended in a partial acquittal, where the accused was acquitted of some charges and convicted of others. The 53% full-acquittal rate is higher than the 46% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps.

## Most Sentences Were Short

Of 250 convictions, 220 included confinement. The median confinement was 5 months, about the same as the 6 months service-wide. A quarter of confinement sentences were 1 year or longer.

Confinement under 6 months was 46% of convictions here, compared with 39% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Longer sentences were less common. Of 250 convictions, 47 (19%) were longer than one year, compared with 26%. Sentences of 5 years or more were 5%, compared with 9%. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 30          | 12%        | 12%                                         |
| Under 6 months                  | 116         | 46%        | 39%                                         |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 57          | 23%        | 23%                                         |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 34          | 14%        | 18%                                         |
| 5 years or more                 | 13          | 5%         | 9%                                          |

## Fewer Punitive Discharges

A punitive discharge followed 55% of enlisted convictions: 100 bad-conduct discharges and 32 dishonorable discharges. That is lower than the 64% across the Navy and Marine Corps. The records also show 9 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 4 were dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge.

A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

## Compared With Norfolk and Bremerton

Norfolk, Virginia (308 cases) and Bremerton, Washington (221) tried similar numbers of cases in the same years. Norfolk's contested share was higher, at 34%, and 45 of 104 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. Bremerton's contested share was lower, at 13%, with 11 of 27 ending in a full acquittal.

Median confinement was 5 months at San Diego and Bremerton and 6 months at Norfolk. Punitive discharge rates for enlisted convictions were similar: 55% at San Diego, 57% at Norfolk, and 52% at Bremerton.

| Installation          | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
| --------------------- | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- |
| San Diego, California | 285   | 23%       | 34 of 64                            | 5 months           | 55%                           |
| Norfolk, Virginia     | 308   | 34%       | 45 of 104                           | 6 months           | 57%                           |
| Bremerton, Washington | 221   | 13%       | 11 of 27                            | 5 months           | 52%                           |

## Court Level and Rank

General courts-martial, which can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge, were 31% of cases (89 of 285). The other 196 were special courts-martial, which cap confinement at one year. At general courts-martial, 90% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 2.3 years. At special courts-martial, 87% did, with a median of 3 months.

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 54% of the accused, NCOs were 41%, and officers were 5%. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, junior enlisted members were 56%.

## The Rules Before 2019 and What the Records Cannot Show

Every case here came before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019\. That law created judge-alone special courts-martial, set fixed panel sizes, and introduced written plea agreements. By year, there were 44 cases in 2013, 56 in 2014, 59 in 2015, 45 in 2016, 45 in 2017, and 36 in 2018.

The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not show the evidence or plea terms. They do not include nonjudicial punishment or administrative separations. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea and forum.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/).

### How We Counted

Every court-martial in the data tried at San Diego, California with a trial date in 2013–2018 (285 cases), compared with all 2,059 Navy and Marine Corps trials in those years. Dates are trial dates.

Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.

## Related Analysis

- [San Diego, California: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-san-diego-california/) (hub)
- [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub)
- [Inside 173 Courts-Martial at San Diego, California, 2019–2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2019-2023/) (another period)
- [San Diego, California Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 126 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2024-2026/) (another period)
- [Norfolk, Virginia, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 308 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/norfolk-virginia-courts-martial-2013-2018/) (same years, similar size)
- [Bremerton, Washington, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 221 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2013-2018/) (same years, similar size)
- [Did Assault Cases at San Diego, California Change After 2019?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-article-128-before-after-2019/)
- [Drug Cases at San Diego, California: 2013–2018 vs. 2019–2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-article-112a-before-after-2019/)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

Next: [Inside 173 Courts-Martial at San Diego, California, 2019–2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2019-2023/) →

**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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.