Criminal Mischief in Miami-Dade County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Miami-Dade County, we compared 1,730 Criminal Mischief cases with public defenders against 583 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 1.5 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

2.0%
PD Dismissal Rate
1,730 cases
0.5%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
583 cases
-1.5 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney
Total Cases 1,730 583
Dismissal Rate 2.0% 0.5%
Conviction Rate 87.2% 64.3%
Guilty Rate 63.6% 36.4%
Adjudication Withheld 23.5% 28.0%
Diversion Rate 10.1% 35.2%
Avg Sentence 10.8 months 10.2 months
Avg Fine $366.84 $422.31
Avg Probation 2.5 years 3.3 years

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 Criminal Mischief is 2.6% with public defenders and 1.4% with private attorneys (-1.2 point difference). Miami-Dade County's -1.5 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Miami-Dade County 2.0% 0.5% -1.5 pts
Florida (Statewide) 2.6% 1.4% -1.2 pts

Other Charges in Miami-Dade County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Larceny / Theft 8,677 1.1% 2,964 0.5%
Drug Possession 5,609 0.7% 886 1.1%
Other 2,488 7.7% 3,567 35.2%
Resisting Officer 3,936 2.6% 1,520 1.1%
Battery 3,220 2.7% 2,056 1.0%
Fraud 1,833 0.7% 1,918 0.2%
Burglary 2,738 1.2% 773 0.9%
Traffic Offense 2,357 8.0% 995 9.5%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Miami-Dade County, private attorney clients have a 0.5% dismissal rate for Criminal Mischief compared to 2.0% for public defender clients. This is a -1.5 percentage point difference based on 2,313 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Criminal Mischief in Miami-Dade County is 87.2% with a public defender and 64.3% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 2.6% for public defenders and 1.4% for private attorneys. Miami-Dade County's difference of -1.5 points compares to a statewide difference of -1.2 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 · 2,313 cases analyzed · Miami-Dade County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026