Escape / Failure to Appear in Martin County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Martin County, we compared 567 Escape / Failure to Appear cases with public defenders against 140 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Private attorneys achieved a 5.8 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

48.5%
PD Dismissal Rate
567 cases
54.3%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
140 cases
+5.8 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
The data shows private attorneys achieve a 5.8 percentage point higher dismissal rate for Escape / Failure to Appear in Martin County. Get matched with a local defense attorney — free, no obligation.

Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 567 140 264
Dismissal Rate 48.5% 54.3% 69.7%
Conviction Rate 51.3% 45.7% 30.3%
Guilty Rate 51.0% 43.6% 30.3%
Adjudication Withheld 0.4% 2.1% 0.0%
Diversion Rate 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Avg Sentence 1 year, 7 months 6.9 months 1.0 months
Avg Fine $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Avg Probation 1 year 2.7 years 0 days

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 Escape / Failure to Appear is 31.8% with public defenders and 26.7% with private attorneys (-5.1 point difference). Martin County's 5.8 point difference is above the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Martin County 48.5% 54.3% +5.8 pts
Florida (Statewide) 31.8% 26.7% -5.1 pts

Other Charges in Martin County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 1,172 0.6% 1,139 0.4%
Drug Possession 1,135 8.3% 911 4.9%
Other 690 37.7% 699 40.2%
DUI 527 0.2% 751 0.8%
Larceny / Theft 579 1.7% 366 0.3%
Sex Offense 449 0.4% 491 0.0%
Resisting Officer 458 2.8% 273 0.4%
Battery 455 4.4% 226 3.1%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Martin County, private attorney clients have a 54.3% dismissal rate for Escape / Failure to Appear compared to 48.5% for public defender clients. This is a 5.8 percentage point difference based on 707 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Escape / Failure to Appear in Martin County is 51.3% with a public defender and 45.7% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 31.8% for public defenders and 26.7% for private attorneys. Martin County's difference of 5.8 points compares to a statewide difference of -5.1 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 · 707 cases analyzed · Martin County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026