Drug Sale in Palm Beach County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Palm Beach County, we compared 393 Drug Sale cases with public defenders against 355 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.3 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

0.3%
PD Dismissal Rate
393 cases
0.0%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
355 cases
-0.3 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
Facing Drug Sale charges in Palm Beach County?

Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 393 355 17
Dismissal Rate 0.3% 0.0% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 96.4% 95.5% 94.1%
Guilty Rate 89.8% 84.8% 29.4%
Adjudication Withheld 6.6% 10.7% 64.7%
Diversion Rate 2.8% 3.7% 5.9%
Avg Sentence 1 year, 7 months 3.2 years 1.5 months
Avg Fine $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Avg Probation 2.6 years 3.0 years 2.8 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 Sale is 0.8% with public defenders and 0.7% with private attorneys (-0.1 point difference). Palm Beach County's -0.3 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Palm Beach County 0.3% 0.0% -0.3 pts
Florida (Statewide) 0.8% 0.7% -0.1 pts

Other Charges in Palm Beach County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 17,353 0.8% 18,395 0.2%
Drug Possession 6,696 1.3% 2,370 0.2%
Larceny / Theft 5,955 0.7% 2,179 0.2%
Battery 4,702 1.3% 2,357 0.7%
Trespassing 5,106 2.3% 505 0.2%
Other 3,575 1.6% 1,807 0.5%
Resisting Officer 3,879 1.6% 1,473 0.3%
DUI 1,632 0.5% 2,382 0.2%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Palm Beach County, private attorney clients have a 0.0% dismissal rate for Drug Sale compared to 0.3% for public defender clients. This is a -0.3 percentage point difference based on 748 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Drug Sale in Palm Beach County is 96.4% with a public defender and 95.5% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 0.8% for public defenders and 0.7% for private attorneys. Palm Beach County's difference of -0.3 points compares to a statewide difference of -0.1 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 · 748 cases analyzed · Palm Beach County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026