What Changed at Shaw AFB, South Carolina After 2019? 18 Cases vs. 29
Shaw AFB, South Carolina tried 29 courts-martial from 2019 to 2023, about 6 a year, the same pace as 2016–2018. Drug charges under Article 112a appeared in 64% of the cases, compared with 41% across the Air Force, and only 18% of cases were contested.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › Shaw AFB, South Carolina › Before and after 2019
Short answer: Shaw AFB, South Carolina tried 29 courts-martial from 2019 to 2023, about 6 a year, the same pace as 2016–2018. Drug charges under Article 112a appeared in 64% of the cases, compared with 41% across the Air Force, and only 18% of cases were contested. Every conviction included confinement, but the median was 3 months, and the share of convicted enlisted members who received a punitive discharge went from 64% to 39%.
A Drug-Heavy Caseload
Of the 25 cases whose records list the charges, 16 included Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances). That is 64%, compared with 41% in all Air Force cases in 2019–2023. Article 134 (general article) came next, in 6 cases (24%), close to the 21% Air Force share.
Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) and Article 128 (assault) were each charged in 4 cases (16%). Article 121 (larceny), Article 128b (domestic violence), and Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) each appeared in 2. One case can fall under several articles, so the shares add to more than 100%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the rest of the Air Force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 16 | 64% | 41% |
| Art. 134 General article | 6 | 24% | 21% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 4 | 16% | 16% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 4 | 16% | 19% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 2 | 8% | 4% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 2 | 8% | 5% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 2 | 8% | 11% |
| Art. 133 Conduct unbecoming an officer | 1 | 4% | 1% |
Guilty Pleas Were the Usual Result
Among the 22 records that list a plea, 18 accused pleaded guilty and 4 contested at least one charge. A contested case is one with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share at Shaw was 18%, compared with 50% in all Air Force cases in those years.
Full acquittals were also less common. 4 of the 29 cases ended in a full acquittal (14%), compared with 24% in the rest of the Air Force. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea, so this rate is measured against all cases rather than contested cases only. Among the 4 decided contested cases, 3 ended in a full acquittal.
Short Confinement Terms
All 25 convictions included confinement (100%). The median confinement was 3 months, compared with 4 months Air Force-wide. Sentences under 6 months made up 76% of the convictions at Shaw, compared with 50% across the Air Force.
Only 2 of 25 convictions (8%) carried more than one year of confinement, compared with 23% across the Air Force. 1 sentence was more than 1 year but under 5 years, and 1 was 5 years or more. Another 4 convictions (16%) carried 6 months to 1 year. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each one covers every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Air Force as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 0 | 0% | 12% |
| Under 6 months | 19 | 76% | 50% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 4 | 16% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 1 | 4% | 17% |
| 5 years or more | 1 | 4% | 6% |
Fewer Punitive Discharges Than Before
A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for an enlisted member, and a dismissal for an officer. At Shaw, 39% of convicted enlisted members received one: 7 bad-conduct discharges and 2 dishonorable discharges. The Air Force share in 2019–2023 was 56%.
In 2016–2018, the share at Shaw was 64%. The records also show 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, and both were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Then and Now
In 2016–2018, Shaw tried 18 cases over the 3 years with cases on record, about 6 a year, the same rate as in 2019–2023 (full years only). The median confinement was 10 months in the earlier period and 3 months in the later one. Convictions with confinement went from 67% to 100%.
General courts-martial made up 67% of the cases in 2016–2018 and 41% in 2019–2023. The groups are small, and a few cases can move each figure, so these changes show direction rather than exact size. The records cannot show why any figure changed.
| 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 18 | 29 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 18% |
| Convictions with confinement | 67% | 100% |
| Median confinement | 10 months | 3 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 64% | 39% |
| General courts-martial | 67% | 41% |
Court Level and Who Decided Guilt
Of the 29 cases, 12 were general courts-martial and 17 were special courts-martial. The general share, 41%, is lower than the 53% in the rest of the Air Force. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year.
At general courts-martial, 9 of 9 convictions brought confinement, with a median of 5 months. At special courts-martial, 100% of convictions did, with a median of 2 months. A military judge alone decided guilt in 27 of 29 cases with the forum listed (93%). Members heard 2 cases: 1 enlisted panel and 1 officer panel.
Rank of the Accused
The accused were 21 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 6 NCOs, and 2 officers. The group is more junior than the whole Air Force docket for those years.
Similar-Sized Installations
Cannon AFB, New Mexico and Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona each tried 29 Air Force cases in the same years. Both had higher contested shares than Shaw: 84% at Cannon and 56% at Davis-Monthan. Their median confinement was also longer, at 1.2 years and 6 months. Their punitive discharge shares were 69% and 59%, both higher than the 39% at Shaw.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shaw AFB, South Carolina | 29 | 18% | 3 of 4 | 3 months | 39% |
| Cannon AFB, New Mexico | 29 | 84% | 9 of 16 | 1.2 years | 69% |
| Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona | 29 | 56% | 5 of 9 | 6 months | 59% |
What the Records Do Not Show
The records list charges, pleas, findings, and sentences, but not offense dates, the evidence, or plea terms. They leave out nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals and never report plea agreements.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Shaw AFB, South Carolina in 2016–2018 (18) and 2019–2023 (29).
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
- Shaw AFB, South Carolina: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Shaw AFB, South Carolina, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 29 Cases
- Andersen AFB, Guam Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look
- Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Shaw AFB, South Carolina, 2019–2023
- Bryon T. Gleisner
- Jason M. Kellhofer
- James E. Key III
- Matthew N. McCall
- Mark W. Milam
- Julie L. Pitvorec
- Joshua D. Rosen
- Michael A. Schrama
- Shaun S. Speranza
- Bryan D. Watson
- Pilar G. Wennrich
- Charles E. Wiedie Jr.
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.