Criminal Mischief in Miami-Dade County, Florida

In Miami-Dade County, criminal mischief cases result in conviction or adjudication withheld in over 81 percent of cases, well above the statewide pattern. The guilty rate of 56.7 percent paired with a withheld rate of 25.1 percent suggests prosecutors pursue these cases aggressively and judges frequently find guilt without formal conviction. The dismissal rate of 1.7 percent falls below the statewide average of 2.4 percent, indicating Miami-Dade judges are less likely to throw out these charges. Notably, the diversion rate of 16 percent is more than double the statewide average of 6.4 percent, meaning Miami-Dade offers defendants substantially more opportunities to resolve cases outside the criminal system through program completion rather than conviction.

Defendants convicted or adjudicated withheld face meaningful consequences. The median sentence is 148 days, but the average climbs to 351.8 days, reflecting some cases receiving substantially longer terms. Over half of defendants receive either jail or prison time, with 25.6 percent incarcerated in prison and 26.7 percent in jail. Probation extends an average of nearly 983 days when imposed. Two-thirds of defendants are represented by public defenders, while about one-fifth retain private counsel.