Child Abuse / Neglect in Marion County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Marion County, we compared 115 Child Abuse / Neglect cases with public defenders against 26 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.9 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

0.9%
PD Dismissal Rate
115 cases
0.0%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
26 cases
-0.9 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 115 26 3
Dismissal Rate 0.9% 0.0% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 93.0% 80.8% 100.0%
Guilty Rate 53.0% 46.2% 66.7%
Adjudication Withheld 40.0% 34.6% 33.3%
Diversion Rate 4.3% 15.4% 0.0%
Avg Sentence 3.2 years 3.4 years 10 days
Avg Fine $177.32 $252.63 $50.00
Avg Probation 3.3 years 3.3 years 6.1 months

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 Child Abuse / Neglect is 1.3% with public defenders and 1.6% with private attorneys (0.3 point difference). Marion County's -0.9 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Marion County 0.9% 0.0% -0.9 pts
Florida (Statewide) 1.3% 1.6% +0.3 pts

Other Charges in Marion County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 2,583 0.0% 798 0.0%
Drug Possession 2,952 2.2% 199 7.0%
Larceny / Theft 2,243 0.2% 212 0.5%
Battery 1,628 0.4% 272 0.7%
Other 1,079 0.7% 201 2.0%
Trespassing 1,046 0.0% 22 0.0%
DUI 597 0.2% 469 0.0%
Probation Violation 771 0.0% 64 0.0%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Marion County, private attorney clients have a 0.0% dismissal rate for Child Abuse / Neglect compared to 0.9% for public defender clients. This is a -0.9 percentage point difference based on 141 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Child Abuse / Neglect in Marion County is 93.0% with a public defender and 80.8% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 1.3% for public defenders and 1.6% for private attorneys. Marion County's difference of -0.9 points compares to a statewide difference of 0.3 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 · 141 cases analyzed · Marion County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026