MJ-008 · MILITARY JUSTICE
Article 15 Nonjudicial Punishment (NJP)
MJ-008: NJP is a command disciplinary process rather than a court-martial conviction; rights, punishment authority, demand-for-trial rules, appeal, and service implementation must be separated.
Start with the controlling authority
Working procedure
- Identify the commander’s Article 15 authority and the member’s status.
- Preserve notification, alleged offenses, evidence, rights advice, election/demand decision, hearing materials, findings, punishment, suspension/remission action, and appeal.
- Check the vessel exception and service-specific implementation before stating a right to demand trial.
- Distinguish NJP findings and punishment from a criminal conviction by court-martial.
- Track later use of the NJP in evaluations, separation, promotion, or other administrative action.
Records to preserve
MREC-01 personnel files; MREC-12 legal proceedings; MREC-14 review/correction decisions.
Version and service discipline
Military justice is version-sensitive. Match the offense date, procedural date, service, forum, and filing date to the governing statute, MCM/R.C.M./M.R.E. version, presidential amendments, service regulation, and court rules. The 2024 MCM must be checked against later operative amendments before treating it as complete current procedure.
