Service members accused of wrongdoing as per the UCMJ punitive articles may have to face court-martial. While most of the crimes are unique to the military justice system, some are similar to federal or state crime statutes.
Investigations may be conducted for serious offenses. If proven guilty, the punishments can be life-altering.
Military crime charges need to be dealt with in the right way. Otherwise, one may land in serious trouble. So, if you are currently charged with a military offense, immediately look for experienced UCMJ defense attorneys. The better your attorney, the easier facing the issue becomes.
But what exactly can land you in such trouble? We have listed the crimes below.
General Offenses
These articles mainly deal with minor offenses related to attempts and complicity. It is to promote accountability and discipline among the members.
Articles and Crimes
- 77: Principals
- 78: Accessory after the fact
- 79: Conviction of offense charged, LIOs, and attempts
Inchoate Offenses
These articles are in place to take appropriate measures against actions that disturb military order. This way, evasion of responsibility and misuse of power are kept at bay.
Articles and Crimes
- 80: Attempts
- 81: Conspiracy
- 82: Soliciting commission of offenses
Place of Duty Offenses
These articles deal with issues like absence, fraudulent hires, and other actions that threaten military order and discipline.
Articles and Crimes
- 83: Malingering
- 84: Breach of medical quarantine
- 85: Desertion
- 86: Absence without leave
- 87: Missing movement; jumping from vessel
- 87a: Resistance, flight, breach of arrest, escape
- 87b: Offenses against correctional custody and restriction
Authority Offenses
These articles exist to build a respectful atmosphere and protect the chain of command. Insubordination or indiscipline of any kind based on hierarchy fall under this category.
Articles and Crimes
- 88: Contempt toward officials
- 89: Disrespect toward superior commissioned officer; assault of a superior commissioned officer
- 90: Willfully disobeying superior commissioned officer
- 91: Insubordinate conduct towards WO, NCO, PO
- 92: Failure to obey order or regulation
- 93: Cruelty or maltreatment
- 93a: Prohibited activities with a military recruit or trainee by a person in a position of special trust
- 94: Mutiny and sedition
Enemy / Post Offenses
These articles mainly address the security issues related to prisoners and related behavior. It is about avoiding potentially dangerous situations.
Articles and Crimes
- 95: Offenses by sentinel or lookout
- 95a: Disrespect toward sentinel or lookout
- 96: Release of prisoner without authority; drinking with the prisoner
- 97: Unlawful detention
- 98: Misconduct as prisoner
- 99: Misbehavior before the enemy
- 100: Subordinate compelling surrender
- 101: Improper use of countersign
- 102: Forcing a safeguard
- 103: Spies
- 103a: Espionage
- 103b: Aiding the enemy
Falsity Offenses
These articles address serious offenses like forgery, misleading statements, etc.
Articles and Crimes
- 104: Public records offenses
- 104a: Fraudulent enlistment, appointment, or separation
- 104b: Unlawful enlistment, appointment, or separation
- 105: Forgery
- 105a: False or unauthorized pass offenses
- 106: Impersonation of officer, NCO, or petty officer
- 106a: Wearing unauthorized insignia, badge, ribbon, device
- 107: False official statement; false swearing
- 107a: Parole violation
Property Offenses
These articles directly deal with offenses related to military property. It may sometimes even be non-military property as well.
Articles and Crimes
- 108: Military Property – Loss, damage, destruction, or wrongful disposition
- 108a: Captured or abandoned property
- 109: Property other than military property – Waste, spoilage, or destruction
- 109a: Mail matter – wrongful taking, opening, etc.
Vessel / Vehicle Offenses
They deal with accidents related to crucial parts of the military, i.e., vessels and vehicle accidents.
Articles and Crimes
- 110: Improper hazarding of a vessel or aircraft
- 111: Leaving the scene of a vehicle accident
Intoxication / Drug Offenses
These articles are in place to address issues of serious concern and primarily focus on alcohol and substance abuse and related incapacitation.
Articles and Crimes
- 112: Drunkenness and other incapacitation offenses
- 112a: Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances
- 113: Drunken operation of a vehicle, aircraft, or vessel
Endangerment / Threatening Offenses
This set of articles deals with violence at the premises, be it verbal or non-verbal.
Articles and Crimes
- 114: Endangerment offenses
- 115: Communicating threats
- 116: Riot or breach of peace
- 117: Provoking speeches or gestures
- 117a: Wrongful broadcast /distribution of intimate visual images
Murder / Manslaughter / Child Endangerment
These articles mention the repercussions of crimes like murder, foeticide, infanticide, and other violent actions.
Articles and Crimes
- 118: Murder
- 119: Manslaughter
- 119a: Death or injury of an unborn child
- 119b: Child endangerment
Sexual Offenses
These articles deal with the protection and safety of members from sexual assault. It clearly mentions the forms of sexual assault and the actions to be taken if a service member is found guilty.
Articles and Crimes
- 120: Rape and sexual assault generally
- 120a: Mail: deposit of obscene matter
- 120b: Rape and sexual assault of a child
- 120c: Other sexual misconduct
Larceny / Fraud Offenses
These articles deal with security breaches of grave concern. It addresses issues related to monetary transactions, property, and much more.
Articles and Crimes
- 121: Larceny and wrongful appropriation
- 121a: Fraudulent use of credit cards, debit cards, and other access devices
- 121b: False pretenses to obtain services
- 122: Robbery 122a: Receiving stolen property
- 123: Offenses concerning government computers
- 123a: Making, drawing, or uttering check, draft, or order without sufficient funds
- 124: Frauds against the United States
- 124a: Bribery
- 124b: Graft
Offenses Against Persons
This set of articles deals with severe issues that may or may not involve death but are of an alarming nature.
Articles and Crimes
- 125: Kidnapping
- 126: Arson; burning property with intent to defraud
- 127: Extortion
- 128: Assault
- 128a: Maiming
- 128b: Domestic violence
- 129: Burglary; unlawful entry
- 130: Stalking
Obstruction Offenses
This set of articles deals with complications during legal proceedings. It involves issues related to courts and cases.
Articles and Crimes
- 131: Perjury
- 131a: Subornation of perjury
- 131b: Obstructing justice
- 131c: Misprision of a serious offense
- 131d: Wrongful refusal to testify
- 131e: Prevention of authorized seizure of property
- 131f: Noncompliance with procedural rules
- 131g: Wrongful interference with an adverse administrative proceeding
- 132: Retaliation
Offenses of General Application
One of the articles here deals with uncalled-for unexpected misbehavior of service members. The other deals with multiple issues that have been addressed in the articles above.
Articles and Crimes
- 133: Conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman
- 134: General article
Not all of them may end up in court-martial, but there are always possibilities. The commander gets to decide the course of action.
Additionally, it is always better to get a detailed understanding of the issues and the repercussions.