South Carolina § 25-1-2520 - Nonjudicial disciplinary punishment.

§ 25-1-2520. Nonjudicial disciplinary punishment.

1. Under regulations that the Adjutant General may prescribe, limitations may be placed on the powers granted by this section with respect to the kind and amount of punishment authorized, the categories of general officers or commanders authorized to exercise those powers, the applicability of this section to an accused who demands trial by court-martial, and the kinds of courts-martial to which the case may be referred upon a demand. However, punishment may not be imposed upon a member of the military forces under this section if the member has, before the imposition of punishment, demanded trial by court-martial in lieu of punishment. Under similar regulations, rules may be prescribed with respect to the suspension of punishments authorized pursuant to this section. A colonel or general officer may delegate his nonjudicial punishment authority to an individual within his authority, who is no more than two grades inferior in rank, so long as the adjudged sentence is not executed until the delegating commander has approved the procedure and sentence.

2. Subject to subsection 1 of this section, any commander may, in addition to or in lieu of admonition or reprimand, impose one or more of the following disciplinary punishments for minor offenses without the intervention of a court-martial:

(A) upon officers of his command:

(1) restriction to certain specified limits, with or without suspension from duty, for not more than fifteen days;

(2) if imposed by the Governor, the Adjutant General, or an officer of a general rank in command:

(a) arrest in quarters for not more than fifteen days;

(b) a fine of not more than the equivalent of seven days' pay;

(B) upon other military personnel of his command:

(1) a fine of not more than the equivalent of two days' pay;

(2) reduction to the next inferior pay grade, if the grade from which demoted is within the promotion authority of the officer imposing the reduction or any officer subordinate to the one who imposes the reduction;

(3) extra duties, including fatigue or other duties, for not more than fourteen days;

(4) restriction to certain specified limits, with or without suspension from duty, for not more than fourteen days;

(5) if imposed by an officer of the grade of major, or above:

(a) a fine of not more than the equivalent of four days' pay;

(b) reduction to the lowest or any intermediate pay grade, if the grade from which demoted is within the promotion authority of the officer imposing the reduction or any officer subordinate to the one who imposes the reduction, but an enlisted member in a pay grade above E-4 may not be reduced more than two pay grades;

(c) the punishment authorized under subitem (3) of item (B) of subsection 2 of this section;

(d) the punishment authorized under subitem (4) of item (B) of subsection 2 of this section.

No two or more of the punishments of arrest in quarters, extra duties, and restriction may be combined to run consecutively in the maximum amount possible for each. Whenever any of those punishments are combined to run consecutively, there must be an apportionment.

3. An officer in charge may impose upon enlisted members assigned to the unit of which he is in charge such of the punishments authorized under subitems (1) through (3) of item (B) of subsection 2 of this section as the Governor may specifically prescribe by regulation.

4. The officer who imposes the punishment authorized in subsection 2 of this section, or his successors in command, may at any time, suspend probationally a reduction in grade or a fine imposed under subsection 2 of this section, whether or not executed. In addition, he may at any time remit or mitigate any part or amount of the unexecuted punishment and may set aside in whole or in part the punishment, whether executed or unexecuted, and restore all rights, privileges, and property affected. He may also mitigate reduction in grade to a fine. When mitigating:

(a) arrest in quarters to restriction;

(b) extra duties to restriction;

the mitigated punishment may not be for a greater period than the punishment mitigated. When mitigating reduction in grade to a fine, the amount of the fine may not be greater than the amount that could have been imposed initially under this section by the officer who imposed the punishment mitigated.

5. A person punished under this section who considers his punishment unjust or disproportionate to the offense may, through proper channel, appeal to the next superior authority. The appeal must be promptly forwarded and decided, and in the meantime the punishment adjudged must be suspended. The superior authority may exercise the same powers with respect to the punishment imposed as may be exercised under subsection 4 of this section by the officer who imposed the punishment. The authority who is to act on the appeal shall refer the case to the state judge advocate or a judge advocate or legal officer within his command for consideration and advice. The decision of the superior authority is final.

6. The imposition and enforcement of disciplinary punishment under this section for any act or omission is not a bar to trial by court-martial for a serious crime or offense growing out of the same act or omission, and not properly punishable under this section; but the fact that a disciplinary punishment has been enforced may be shown by the accused upon trial, and when so shown shall be considered in determining the measure of punishment to be adjudged in the event of a finding of guilty.

7. The Adjutant General may, by regulation, prescribe the form of records to be kept of proceedings under this section and may also prescribe that certain categories of those proceedings shall be in writing.

HISTORY: Former SECTION 25-1-2520 [1950 (46) 1881; 1952 Code SECTION 44-163; 1962 Code SECTION 44-163; 1964 (53) 2241] recodified as SECTIONS 25-1-2925 and 25-1-3020 by 1984 Act No. 378; New SECTION 25-1-2520 [derived from former SECTION 25-1-2650 (1962 Code SECTION 44-157; 1964 (53) 2241); SECTION 25-1-3090 (1962 Code SECTION 44-210; 1964 (53) 2241)] En by 1984 Act No. 378, SECTION 14; 1985 Act No. 84, SECTION 3; 2001 Act No. 85, SECTION 29; 2011 Act No. 46, SECTION 14, eff June 7, 2011; 2024 Act No. 145 (H.4642), SECTION 5, eff May 13, 2024.

Effect of Amendment

The 2011 amendment, in subsection 1, in the first sentence, substituted "regulations that" for "such regulations as", and inserted "general officer or"; in subsection 1, in the second sentence, substituted "a member" for "any member"; in subsection 1, in the third sentence, substituted "pursuant to this section" for "hereunder"; and in subsection 1, added the fourth sentence.

2024 Act No. 145, SECTION 5, in 1., in the fourth sentence, substituted "two grades" for "one grade"; in 2.(A)(2)(b), deleted "forfeiture of pay of not more than seven days' pay or" from the beginning, in 2.(B)(1), deleted "forfeiture of pay of not more than two days' pay or" from the beginning, and in 2.(B)(5)(a), deleted "forfeiture of pay of not more than four days' pay or" from the beginning; in 4., in the first sentence, substituted "fine" for "forfeiture", and in the third sentence, substituted "a fine" for "forfeiture of pay", and in the undesignated paragraph following (b), in the second sentence, substituted "a fine" for "forfeiture of pay" and "fine" for "forfeiture"; and deleted 7., and redesignated former 8. as 7. and made nonsubstantive changes.