Drug Possession in Jefferson County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Jefferson County, we compared 199 Drug Possession cases with public defenders against 39 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.5 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

0.5%
PD Dismissal Rate
199 cases
0.0%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
39 cases
-0.5 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
Facing Drug Possession charges in Jefferson County?

Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 199 39 16
Dismissal Rate 0.5% 0.0% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 99.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Guilty Rate 79.4% 43.6% 68.8%
Adjudication Withheld 19.6% 56.4% 31.2%
Diversion Rate 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Avg Sentence 9.6 months 3.3 months 29 days
Avg Fine $90.98 $135.01 $109.07
Avg Probation 1 year, 12 months 2.5 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). Jefferson County's -0.5 point difference is below the statewide average.

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

Other Charges in Jefferson County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 102 2.0% 39 0.0%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Jefferson 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 238 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Drug Possession in Jefferson County is 99.0% 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. Jefferson 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 · 238 cases analyzed · Jefferson County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026