Traffic Offense in Jefferson County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Jefferson County, we compared 102 Traffic Offense cases with public defenders against 39 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 2.0 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

2.0%
PD Dismissal Rate
102 cases
0.0%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
39 cases
-2.0 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 102 39 165
Dismissal Rate 2.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 98.0% 97.4% 98.2%
Guilty Rate 83.3% 51.3% 60.0%
Adjudication Withheld 14.7% 46.2% 38.2%
Diversion Rate 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Avg Sentence 1.7 months 11 days 1 days
Avg Fine $116.32 $166.76 $104.34
Avg Probation 9.3 months 6.1 months 8.1 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 Traffic Offense is 2.4% with public defenders and 3.6% with private attorneys (1.2 point difference). Jefferson County's -2.0 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Jefferson County 2.0% 0.0% -2.0 pts
Florida (Statewide) 2.4% 3.6% +1.2 pts

Other Charges in Jefferson County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Drug Possession 199 0.5% 39 0.0%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Jefferson County, private attorney clients have a 0.0% dismissal rate for Traffic Offense compared to 2.0% for public defender clients. This is a -2.0 percentage point difference based on 141 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Traffic Offense in Jefferson County is 98.0% with a public defender and 97.4% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 2.4% for public defenders and 3.6% for private attorneys. Jefferson County's difference of -2.0 points compares to a statewide difference of 1.2 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 · 141 cases analyzed · Jefferson County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026