Drug Possession in Leon County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Leon County, we compared 2,006 Drug Possession cases with public defenders against 943 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.8 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

1.3%
PD Dismissal Rate
2,006 cases
0.5%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
943 cases
-0.8 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
Facing Drug Possession charges in Leon County?

Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 2,006 943 184
Dismissal Rate 1.3% 0.5% 2.7%
Conviction Rate 88.8% 84.8% 26.6%
Guilty Rate 71.8% 61.9% 15.8%
Adjudication Withheld 16.9% 22.9% 10.9%
Diversion Rate 5.1% 13.8% 67.9%
Avg Sentence 6.4 months 9.8 months 6.6 months
Avg Fine $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Avg Probation 1 year, 11 months 2.2 years 4.3 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 Drug Possession is 1.0% with public defenders and 1.3% with private attorneys (0.3 point difference). Leon County's -0.8 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Leon County 1.3% 0.5% -0.8 pts
Florida (Statewide) 1.0% 1.3% +0.3 pts

Other Charges in Leon County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 1,864 0.9% 905 0.3%
Larceny / Theft 1,829 2.1% 466 0.0%
Battery 1,345 5.2% 497 2.2%
Trespassing 1,458 2.4% 125 1.6%
Resisting Officer 1,074 3.6% 288 3.1%
Other 679 3.1% 425 2.6%
Fraud 526 4.2% 229 2.2%
Weapons Offense 434 0.7% 236 0.4%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Leon County, private attorney clients have a 0.5% dismissal rate for Drug Possession compared to 1.3% for public defender clients. This is a -0.8 percentage point difference based on 2,949 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Drug Possession in Leon County is 88.8% with a public defender and 84.8% 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. Leon County's difference of -0.8 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 · 2,949 cases analyzed · Leon County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026