Escape / Failure to Appear in St. Johns County, Florida

St. Johns County dismisses escape and failure to appear charges at nearly double the statewide rate, with 24 percent of cases dismissed compared to 10.7 percent across Florida. However, the guilty rate of 48 percent still exceeds the dismissal rate, suggesting the State Attorney pursues these cases aggressively when they proceed to adjudication. The withheld adjudication rate of 24 percent is notably higher than the statewide average of 10.2 percent, meaning roughly one in four defendants avoid a formal conviction on their record despite judicial findings of guilt. Only 2 percent receive diversion, slightly above the statewide average, indicating limited opportunities to avoid conviction through pre-trial programming.

When defendants in St. Johns County are sentenced on these charges, confinement is rare—just 10 percent receive prison and 4 percent jail time. Yet sentences involving probation average 1,643 days (roughly 4.5 years) with a median custodial sentence of nearly four years when imprisonment is imposed. Most defendants are represented by public defenders at 14 percent of cases, compared to just 6 percent with private counsel, reflecting the financial burden these charges create. Average fines remain minimal at $125.75.