Forgery in Alachua County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Alachua County, we compared 20 Forgery cases with public defenders against 22 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Both counsel types had similar dismissal rates.

0.0%
PD Dismissal Rate
20 cases
0.0%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
22 cases
0.0 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
Facing Forgery charges in Alachua County?
Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 20 22 1
Dismissal Rate 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 75.0% 22.7% 0.0%
Guilty Rate 65.0% 9.1% 0.0%
Adjudication Withheld 10.0% 13.6% 0.0%
Diversion Rate 25.0% 77.3% 100.0%
Avg Sentence 1 year, 12 months 0 days 0 days
Avg Fine $156.23 $255.02 $0.00
Avg Probation 3.0 years 3.0 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, the dismissal rate for Forgery is 1.0% with public defenders and 0.6% with private attorneys (-0.4 point difference). Alachua County's 0.0 point difference is above the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Alachua County 0.0% 0.0% 0.0 pts
Florida (Statewide) 1.0% 0.6% -0.4 pts
Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 1,044 0.0% 292 0.0%
Battery 970 2.0% 130 2.3%
Larceny / Theft 978 0.7% 76 2.6%
Drug Possession 985 0.2% 67 0.0%
Trespassing 567 1.8% 35 0.0%
DUI 369 0.8% 156 0.0%
Other 410 2.4% 77 0.0%
Resisting Officer 346 1.2% 40 0.0%

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In Alachua County, private attorney clients have a 0.0% dismissal rate for Forgery compared to 0.0% for public defender clients. This is a 0.0 percentage point difference based on 42 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Forgery in Alachua County is 75.0% with a public defender and 22.7% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 1.0% for public defenders and 0.6% for private attorneys. Alachua County's difference of 0.0 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 · 42 cases analyzed · Alachua County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026