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

In Okaloosa County, we compared 208 Escape / Failure to Appear cases with public defenders against 22 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 9.8 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

55.3%
PD Dismissal Rate
208 cases
45.5%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
22 cases
-9.8 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 208 22 90
Dismissal Rate 55.3% 45.5% 61.1%
Conviction Rate 39.9% 40.9% 28.9%
Guilty Rate 34.1% 40.9% 12.2%
Adjudication Withheld 5.8% 0.0% 16.7%
Diversion Rate 3.4% 13.6% 10.0%
Avg Sentence 28 days 5.2 months 25 days
Avg Fine $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Avg Probation 2.1 years 3.7 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). Okaloosa County's -9.8 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Okaloosa County 55.3% 45.5% -9.8 pts
Florida (Statewide) 31.8% 26.7% -5.1 pts

Other Charges in Okaloosa County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 1,354 1.1% 719 1.1%
Drug Possession 1,418 0.3% 331 0.3%
DUI 415 0.5% 630 2.1%
Other 377 2.1% 317 0.3%
Larceny / Theft 550 0.9% 123 2.4%
Battery 368 0.8% 239 2.1%
Resisting Officer 420 0.7% 154 2.6%
Sex Offense 220 4.5% 243 8.2%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Okaloosa County, private attorney clients have a 45.5% dismissal rate for Escape / Failure to Appear compared to 55.3% for public defender clients. This is a -9.8 percentage point difference based on 230 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Escape / Failure to Appear in Okaloosa County is 39.9% with a public defender and 40.9% 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. Okaloosa County's difference of -9.8 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 · 230 cases analyzed · Okaloosa County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026