Perjury in St. Lucie County, Florida

Perjury prosecutions in St. Lucie County result in conviction at notably high rates. With a 79.5 percent guilty rate, defendants face substantially worse odds than the statewide average suggests. The withheld adjudication rate of 11.6 percent trails the state average of 20.5 percent, meaning fewer St. Lucie County defendants avoid formal conviction records. Dismissals occur in only 4.1 percent of cases—more than twice the statewide rate of 1.7 percent—but this remains infrequent. The diversion rate of 1.4 percent is substantially lower than the statewide average of 6.2 percent, indicating St. Lucie County prosecutors rarely offer alternatives to prosecution for perjury charges.

Sentenced defendants face confinement in nearly two-thirds of cases: 37 percent receive prison time and 28.8 percent receive jail time. The average sentence spans 825 days, though the median of 441.5 days suggests some cases involve significantly longer terms that pull the average upward. Probation averages 710 days when imposed. Fines averaged $598. Public defenders handled 25.3 percent of cases while private attorneys represented 19.2 percent, leaving a substantial gap in documented counsel representation for the remaining cases.