ABSTRACT
The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) is a set of statutes governing military justice to which all service members are subject. The UCMJ contains articles that govern the administration of courts-martial, direct the commander in his/her implementation of Non-Judicial Punishments (NJP) procedures, and sets forth rules and regulations to which all personnel under UCMJ jurisdiction must adhere. NJP (sometimes known as Article 15 after the section in the UCMJ where it is found) is part of the UCMJ and allows commanders to impose disciplinary punishments for minor offenses without convening a court martial. NJP is commonly used to correct the discipline of military personnel who have committed minor violations and/or infractions of the UCMJ. As shown in Figure 20.1, NJPs fall midway in terms of severity of punishment that a commander can impose against a service member.
