Battery in Columbia County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Columbia County, we compared 210 Battery cases with public defenders against 16 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.5 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

0.5%
PD Dismissal Rate
210 cases
0.0%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
16 cases
-0.5 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 210 16 5
Dismissal Rate 0.5% 0.0% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 81.9% 31.2% 40.0%
Guilty Rate 74.3% 25.0% 20.0%
Adjudication Withheld 7.6% 6.2% 20.0%
Diversion Rate 9.5% 68.8% 60.0%
Avg Sentence 2.6 years 0 days 0 days
Avg Fine $780.56 $1,000 $0.00
Avg Probation 2.9 years 2.5 years 1 year

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 Battery is 2.7% with public defenders and 1.9% with private attorneys (-0.8 point difference). Columbia County's -0.5 point difference is above the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Columbia County 0.5% 0.0% -0.5 pts
Florida (Statewide) 2.7% 1.9% -0.8 pts

Other Charges in Columbia County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 704 0.0% 161 0.0%
Larceny / Theft 327 0.0% 26 0.0%
Drug Possession 310 0.6% 15 0.0%
Other 148 0.7% 15 0.0%
DUI 103 0.0% 16 0.0%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Columbia County, private attorney clients have a 0.0% dismissal rate for Battery compared to 0.5% for public defender clients. This is a -0.5 percentage point difference based on 226 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Battery in Columbia County is 81.9% with a public defender and 31.2% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 2.7% for public defenders and 1.9% for private attorneys. Columbia County's difference of -0.5 points compares to a statewide difference of -0.8 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 · 226 cases analyzed · Columbia County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026