Drug Possession in Highlands County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Highlands County, we compared 600 Drug Possession cases with public defenders against 37 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.5 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

0.5%
PD Dismissal Rate
600 cases
0.0%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
37 cases
-0.5 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 600 37 13
Dismissal Rate 0.5% 0.0% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 98.5% 100.0% 100.0%
Guilty Rate 92.0% 78.4% 69.2%
Adjudication Withheld 6.5% 21.6% 30.8%
Diversion Rate 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Avg Sentence 1 year 10.1 months 1.1 months
Avg Fine $1,027 $26,157 $81.92
Avg Probation 2.2 years 2.3 years 1 year

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). Highlands County's -0.5 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Highlands County 0.5% 0.0% -0.5 pts
Florida (Statewide) 1.0% 1.3% +0.3 pts

Other Charges in Highlands County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 703 0.3% 343 0.3%
Battery 387 1.6% 37 5.4%
Other 314 3.8% 94 0.0%
Larceny / Theft 330 2.7% 34 0.0%
Resisting Officer 195 2.1% 17 5.9%
Sex Offense 40 5.0% 15 0.0%
DUI 19 0.0% 26 0.0%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Highlands County, private attorney clients have a 0.0% dismissal rate for Drug Possession compared to 0.5% for public defender clients. This is a -0.5 percentage point difference based on 637 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Drug Possession in Highlands County is 98.5% with a public defender and 100.0% 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. Highlands County's difference of -0.5 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 · 637 cases analyzed · Highlands County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026