Criminal Mischief in Osceola County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Osceola County, we compared 87 Criminal Mischief cases with public defenders against 22 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.1 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

4.6%
PD Dismissal Rate
87 cases
4.5%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
22 cases
-0.1 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney
Total Cases 87 22
Dismissal Rate 4.6% 4.5%
Conviction Rate 86.2% 72.7%
Guilty Rate 70.1% 50.0%
Adjudication Withheld 16.1% 22.7%
Diversion Rate 2.3% 13.6%
Avg Sentence 4.7 months 1.6 months
Avg Fine $52.50 $250.00
Avg Probation 9.5 months 1 year, 10 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 Criminal Mischief is 2.6% with public defenders and 1.4% with private attorneys (-1.2 point difference). Osceola County's -0.1 point difference is above the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Osceola County 4.6% 4.5% -0.1 pts
Florida (Statewide) 2.6% 1.4% -1.2 pts

Other Charges in Osceola County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 1,035 0.8% 218 2.3%
Larceny / Theft 535 3.2% 101 0.0%
Drug Possession 540 0.7% 83 2.4%
Battery 225 2.2% 81 4.9%
DUI 173 1.7% 108 0.0%
Resisting Officer 222 1.4% 47 2.1%
Trespassing 217 4.1% 20 0.0%
Other 156 1.9% 72 0.0%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Osceola County, private attorney clients have a 4.5% dismissal rate for Criminal Mischief compared to 4.6% for public defender clients. This is a -0.1 percentage point difference based on 109 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Criminal Mischief in Osceola County is 86.2% with a public defender and 72.7% 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. Osceola County's difference of -0.1 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 · 109 cases analyzed · Osceola County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026