Assault in St. Johns County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In St. Johns County, we compared 122 Assault cases with public defenders against 65 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 1.6 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

1.6%
PD Dismissal Rate
122 cases
0.0%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
65 cases
-1.6 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
Facing Assault charges in St. Johns County?

Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 122 65 3
Dismissal Rate 1.6% 0.0% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 83.6% 80.0% 100.0%
Guilty Rate 56.6% 41.5% 100.0%
Adjudication Withheld 27.0% 38.5% 0.0%
Diversion Rate 13.9% 20.0% 0.0%
Avg Sentence 11.6 months 2.8 years 1.7 months
Avg Fine $600.00 $0.00 $0.00
Avg Probation 2.4 years 3.2 years 0 days

Important context: Correlation is not causation. Private attorney clients may differ from public defender clients in income, prior criminal history, charge severity, and willingness to go to trial. These factors independently affect outcomes. This data is informational and does not constitute legal advice.

Statewide Comparison

Statewide, the dismissal rate for Assault is 2.7% with public defenders and 1.7% with private attorneys (-1.0 point difference). St. Johns County's -1.6 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
St. Johns County 1.6% 0.0% -1.6 pts
Florida (Statewide) 2.7% 1.7% -1.0 pts

Other Charges in St. Johns County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 1,318 2.0% 2,536 0.4%
Drug Possession 1,724 1.2% 405 0.5%
Battery 855 3.2% 416 0.7%
Larceny / Theft 930 1.1% 289 0.3%
DUI 479 4.4% 496 0.6%
Resisting Officer 548 3.8% 212 0.5%
Other 347 2.9% 245 1.2%
Trespassing 539 3.5% 50 0.0%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In St. Johns County, private attorney clients have a 0.0% dismissal rate for Assault compared to 1.6% for public defender clients. This is a -1.6 percentage point difference based on 187 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Assault in St. Johns County is 83.6% with a public defender and 80.0% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 2.7% for public defenders and 1.7% for private attorneys. St. Johns County's difference of -1.6 points compares to a statewide difference of -1.0 points.

Conviction includes guilty pleas and adjudication withheld. Data covers 2023–2025 FDLE public court records. Last updated: March 2026

Important: Differences in outcomes between public defenders and private attorneys may reflect differences in case complexity, defendant resources, charge severity, and other factors — not solely attorney quality. These statistics do not predict individual case outcomes.

Source: FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency · 187 cases analyzed · St. Johns County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026