Assault in Clay County, Florida

Assault cases in Clay County result in conviction far more often than statewide norms. The guilty rate of 62.3 percent runs notably higher than the pattern across Florida's 18,546 assault cases, and Clay County prosecutors dismiss charges at a rate of 3.1 percent—half a percentage point above the statewide average of 2.6 percent. Most distinctive is the withheld adjudication outcome, which occurs in 29.6 percent of cases here compared to 21.9 percent statewide. This means roughly three in ten Clay County assault defendants avoid formal conviction records even after judges find guilt, a significantly more favorable rate than the state average. Diversion programs, which allow case dismissal upon program completion, are used sparingly at 3.7 percent, slightly below the statewide rate of 4.8 percent.

Sentenced defendants in Clay County face substantial confinement. Nearly three-quarters receive either prison or jail time, with 29 percent incarcerated in prison and 43.2 percent in jail. The average sentence spans 741 days, though the median drops to 304 days, indicating that longer sentences pull the average upward. Probation typically extends about 740 days. Fines average $444, creating a financial burden layered onto incarceration and supervision.