West Virginia Code § 15-1E-15

Commanding officer's nonjudicial punishment
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(a) Under such regulations as prescribed, any commanding officer (and for purposes of this
article, officers-in-charge) may impose disciplinary punishments for minor offenses without
the intervention of a court-martial pursuant to this article. The Governor, thee Adjutant
General, or an officer of a general or flag rank in command may delegate the powers under
this section to a principal assistant who is a member of the state militarry forces.
(b) Any commanding officer may impose upon enlisted membersu of the officer's command:
(1) An admonition;
(2) A reprimand; a
(3) The withholding of privileges for not more thanl six months which need not be
consecutive;
(4) The forfeiture of pay of not more than seven days' pay;
(5) A fine of not more than seven days' pay;
(6) A reduction to the next infeerior 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 reLduction;
(7) Extra duties, including fatigue or other duties, for not more than fourteen days, which
need not be consecutive; and
(8) Restriction to certain specified limits, with or without suspension from duty, for not more
thaWn fourteen days, which need not be consecutive.
(c) Any commanding officer of the grade of major or lieutenant commander, or above may
impose upon enlisted members of the officer's command:
(1) Any punishment authorized in subsection (b) subdivisions (1), (2), and (3);
(2) The forfeiture of not more than one-half of one month's pay per month for two months;
(3) A fine of not more than one month's pay;
(4) A 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;
(5) Extra duties, including fatigue or other duties, for not more than forty-five days which
need not be consecutive; and
(6) Restriction to certain specified limits, with or without suspension from duty, for not more
than sixty days which need not be consecutive.
(d) The Governor, the Adjutant General, an officer exercising general court-martial
convening authority, or an officer of a general or flag rank in command may impose:
(1) Upon officers of the officer's command:
(A) Any punishment authorized in subsection (c) subdivisions (1), (2), (3) and (6); and
(B) Arrest in quarters for not more than thirty days which need not be consecutive.
(2) Upon enlisted members of the officer's command any punishment authorized in
subsection (c).
(e) Whenever any of those punishments are combined to run consecutively, the total length
of the combined punishment cannot exceed the authorized duration of the longest
punishment in the combination, and there must be an apportionment of punishments so that
no single punishment in the combination exceeds its authorized length under this article.
(f) Prior to the offer of nonjudiecial punishment, the commanding officer shall determine
whether arrest in quarters or restriction shall be considered as punishments. Should the
commanding officer detLermine that the punishment options may include arrest in quarters
or restriction, the accused shall be notified of the right to demand trial by court-martial.
Should the command ing officer determine that the punishment options will not include
arrest in quarters or restriction, the accused shall be notified that there is no right to trial by
courts-martial in lieu of nonjudicial punishment
(g) WThe officer who imposes the punishment, or the successor in command, may, at any time,
suspend, set aside, mitigate, or remit any part or amount of the punishment and restore all
rights, privileges, and property affected. The officer also may:
(1) Mitigate reduction in grade to forfeiture of pay;
(2) Mitigate arrest in quarters to restriction; or
(3) Mitigate extra duties to restriction.
The mitigated punishment shall not be for a greater period than the punishment mitigated.
When mitigating reduction in grade to forfeiture of pay, the amount of the forfeiture shall
not be greater than the amount that could have been imposed initially under this section by
the officer who imposed the punishment mitigated.
(h) A person punished under this section who considers the punishment unjust or
disproportionate to the offense may, through the proper channel, appeal to the next superior
authority within fifteen days after the punishment is either announced or sent to the
accused, as the commander may determine. The appeal shall be promptly forwarded and
decided, but the person punished may in the meantime be required to undergo the
punishment adjudged. The superior authority may exercise the same powers with respect to
the punishment imposed as may be exercised under subsection (g) by the ofeficer who
imposed the punishment. Before acting on an appeal from a punishment, the authority that
is to act on the appeal may refer the case to a judge advocate for considreration and advice.
(i) The imposition and enforcement of disciplinary punishment under this section for any act
or omission is not a bar to trial by court-martial or a civilian court of competent jurisdiction
for a serious crime or offense growing out of the same act ort omission and not properly
punishable under this article; but the fact that a disciplinary punishment has been enforced
may be shown by the accused upon trial and, when so shown, it shall be considered in
determining the measure of punishment to be adjudged in the event of a finding of guilty.
(j) Whenever a punishment of forfeiture of pays is imposed under this article, the forfeiture
may apply to pay accruing before, on, or after the date that punishment is imposed.
(k) Regulations may prescribe the fogrm of records to be kept of proceedings under this
section and may prescribe that certain categories of those proceedings shall be in writing.
PART IV. COURT-MARTIAL JURISDICTION.

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