Drug Possession in Alachua County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Alachua County, we compared 985 Drug Possession cases with public defenders against 67 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.2 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

0.2%
PD Dismissal Rate
985 cases
0.0%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
67 cases
-0.2 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 985 67 13
Dismissal Rate 0.2% 0.0% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 89.5% 83.6% 69.2%
Guilty Rate 78.4% 59.7% 61.5%
Adjudication Withheld 11.2% 23.9% 7.7%
Diversion Rate 9.2% 14.9% 30.8%
Avg Sentence 1 year, 4 months 2.0 years 7 days
Avg Fine $737.65 $1,207 $69.42
Avg Probation 2.0 years 2.5 years 2.5 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 Drug Possession is 1.0% with public defenders and 1.3% with private attorneys (0.3 point difference). Alachua County's -0.2 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Alachua County 0.2% 0.0% -0.2 pts
Florida (Statewide) 1.0% 1.3% +0.3 pts

Other Charges in Alachua County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 1,044 0.0% 292 0.0%
Battery 970 2.0% 130 2.3%
Larceny / Theft 978 0.7% 76 2.6%
Trespassing 567 1.8% 35 0.0%
DUI 369 0.8% 156 0.0%
Other 410 2.4% 77 0.0%
Resisting Officer 346 1.2% 40 0.0%
Burglary 329 0.0% 21 0.0%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Alachua County, private attorney clients have a 0.0% dismissal rate for Drug Possession compared to 0.2% for public defender clients. This is a -0.2 percentage point difference based on 1,052 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Drug Possession in Alachua County is 89.5% with a public defender and 83.6% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 1.0% for public defenders and 1.3% for private attorneys. Alachua County's difference of -0.2 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 · 1,052 cases analyzed · Alachua County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026