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

In Martin County, we compared 27 Child Abuse / Neglect cases with public defenders against 105 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 3.7 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

3.7%
PD Dismissal Rate
27 cases
0.0%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
105 cases
-3.7 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 27 105 21
Dismissal Rate 3.7% 0.0% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 96.3% 99.0% 100.0%
Guilty Rate 66.7% 74.3% 42.9%
Adjudication Withheld 29.6% 24.8% 57.1%
Diversion Rate 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Avg Sentence 2.5 years 4.1 years 1.0 months
Avg Fine $225.50 $266.67 $253.44
Avg Probation 3.0 years 2.3 years 1 year, 6 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). Martin County's -3.7 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Martin County 3.7% 0.0% -3.7 pts
Florida (Statewide) 1.3% 1.6% +0.3 pts

Other Charges in Martin County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 1,172 0.6% 1,139 0.4%
Drug Possession 1,135 8.3% 911 4.9%
Other 690 37.7% 699 40.2%
DUI 527 0.2% 751 0.8%
Larceny / Theft 579 1.7% 366 0.3%
Sex Offense 449 0.4% 491 0.0%
Resisting Officer 458 2.8% 273 0.4%
Escape / Failure to Appear 567 48.5% 140 54.3%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Martin County, private attorney clients have a 0.0% dismissal rate for Child Abuse / Neglect compared to 3.7% for public defender clients. This is a -3.7 percentage point difference based on 132 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Child Abuse / Neglect in Martin County is 96.3% with a public defender and 99.0% 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. Martin County's difference of -3.7 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 · 132 cases analyzed · Martin County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026