DUI in Hendry County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Hendry County, we compared 97 DUI cases with public defenders against 105 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 1.0 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

1.0%
PD Dismissal Rate
97 cases
0.0%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
105 cases
-1.0 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 97 105 10
Dismissal Rate 1.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 97.9% 100.0% 100.0%
Guilty Rate 97.9% 100.0% 100.0%
Adjudication Withheld 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Diversion Rate 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Avg Sentence 3.9 months 2.8 months 10 days
Avg Fine $1,171 $879.47 $1,019
Avg Probation 10.7 months 10.4 months 9.1 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 DUI is 1.3% with public defenders and 0.9% with private attorneys (-0.4 point difference). Hendry County's -1.0 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Hendry County 1.0% 0.0% -1.0 pts
Florida (Statewide) 1.3% 0.9% -0.4 pts

Other Charges in Hendry County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 436 0.0% 428 0.0%
Drug Possession 410 0.0% 92 0.0%
Other 160 0.0% 93 0.0%
Battery 170 1.8% 52 0.0%
Larceny / Theft 170 0.6% 43 0.0%
Resisting Officer 128 0.8% 34 0.0%
Trespassing 121 3.3% 24 0.0%
Weapons Offense 36 0.0% 15 6.7%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Hendry County, private attorney clients have a 0.0% dismissal rate for DUI compared to 1.0% for public defender clients. This is a -1.0 percentage point difference based on 202 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for DUI in Hendry County is 97.9% with a public defender and 100.0% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 1.3% for public defenders and 0.9% for private attorneys. Hendry County's difference of -1.0 points compares to a statewide difference of -0.4 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 · 202 cases analyzed · Hendry County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026