Contempt of Court in Clay County, Florida

Contempt of Court charges in Clay County result in guilty verdicts 81.6 percent of the time, significantly higher than the statewide pattern. The county's dismissal rate of 1.2 percent trails the Florida average by 4.7 percentage points, indicating prosecutors here pursue these cases more aggressively to resolution. Adjudication withheld occurs in 16.6 percent of cases, slightly above the statewide average of 10.2 percent. Very few defendants access diversion programs; only 0.6 percent do so compared to 2.8 percent statewide. These outcomes suggest Clay County's State Attorney prioritizes conviction in contempt matters and rarely diverts cases away from the criminal process.

Defendants convicted or receiving withheld adjudication face meaningful consequences. Nearly two-thirds—61.3 percent—spend time incarcerated, with sentences averaging 89 days. Probation typically extends more than ten months, and fines average $338. The median sentence of 52.5 days is substantially lower than the mean, showing that while most sentences cluster in the lower range, some defendants receive significantly longer incarceration periods, pulling the average upward.