Non-judicial punishment

In the United States Armed Forces, Non-judicial punishment (NJP) is a disciplinary measure[1] that may be applied to individual military personnel, without a need for a court martial or similar proceedings.

[1]: V-2  The receipt of non-judicial punishment does not constitute a criminal conviction (it is equivalent to a civil action), but is often placed in the service record of the individual.

In the Army and the Air Force, non-judicial punishment is referred to as Article 15; in the Marine Corps it is called being "NJP'd", being sent to "Office Hours", or satirically amongst the junior ranks, "Ninja Punched".

The commander must consider any information offered during the hearing, and must be personally convinced that the service member committed misconduct before imposing punishment.

Admirals in the Navy, U.S. Military Rank Insignia) By Commanding Officers of the grades O-4 to O-6 (Majors to Colonels in the Army & Air Force.

Ensigns to Lieutenants in the Navy, U.S. Military Rank Insignia) By Officers In Charge (OIC) There are three types of non-judicial punishment commonly imposed.

[1]: V-1 Personnel are permitted to refuse NJP in favor of a court-martial; this might be done in cases where they do not feel their Commanding Officer will give them a fair hearing.

In the United States Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, these proceedings take place under the authority of Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).