Other in Putnam County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Putnam County, we compared 169 Other cases with public defenders against 23 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.6 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

0.6%
PD Dismissal Rate
169 cases
0.0%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
23 cases
-0.6 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
Facing Other charges in Putnam County?
Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 169 23 115
Dismissal Rate 0.6% 0.0% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 92.9% 78.3% 79.1%
Guilty Rate 82.2% 52.2% 29.6%
Adjudication Withheld 10.7% 26.1% 49.6%
Diversion Rate 5.9% 21.7% 20.9%
Avg Sentence 2.1 years 5.1 years 1 year, 6 months
Avg Fine $789.01 $530.00 $60.00
Avg Probation 1 year, 12 months 2.9 years 7.7 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, the dismissal rate for Other is 10.7% with public defenders and 19.5% with private attorneys (8.8 point difference). Putnam County's -0.6 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Putnam County 0.6% 0.0% -0.6 pts
Florida (Statewide) 10.7% 19.5% +8.8 pts
Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Drug Possession 1,117 0.1% 44 0.0%
Traffic Offense 742 0.0% 145 0.7%
Battery 672 0.4% 48 0.0%
Larceny / Theft 387 0.3% 21 0.0%

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In Putnam County, private attorney clients have a 0.0% dismissal rate for Other compared to 0.6% for public defender clients. This is a -0.6 percentage point difference based on 192 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Other in Putnam County is 92.9% with a public defender and 78.3% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 10.7% for public defenders and 19.5% for private attorneys. Putnam County's difference of -0.6 points compares to a statewide difference of 8.8 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 · 192 cases analyzed · Putnam County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026