Weapons Offense in Duval County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Duval County, we compared 1,234 Weapons Offense cases with public defenders against 1,008 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 0.1 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

0.2%
PD Dismissal Rate
1,234 cases
0.1%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
1,008 cases
-0.1 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 1,234 1,008 136
Dismissal Rate 0.2% 0.1% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 98.9% 97.5% 98.5%
Guilty Rate 82.4% 84.7% 45.6%
Adjudication Withheld 16.5% 12.8% 52.9%
Diversion Rate 0.0% 1.2% 1.5%
Avg Sentence 3.4 years 5.6 years 3.8 years
Avg Fine $371.43 $2,658 $115.62
Avg Probation 1 year, 8 months 2.0 years 10.6 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 Weapons Offense is 2.0% with public defenders and 1.6% with private attorneys (-0.4 point difference). Duval County's -0.1 point difference is above the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Duval County 0.2% 0.1% -0.1 pts
Florida (Statewide) 2.0% 1.6% -0.4 pts

Other Charges in Duval County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Drug Possession 10,372 0.1% 3,439 0.1%
Traffic Offense 3,850 2.4% 5,588 0.6%
Other 4,645 0.2% 1,460 0.3%
Larceny / Theft 4,355 0.2% 1,213 0.0%
Battery 4,027 0.5% 1,301 0.2%
Resisting Officer 3,265 0.2% 987 0.2%
DUI 1,891 0.3% 1,500 0.3%
Trespassing 2,023 0.3% 309 0.0%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Duval County, private attorney clients have a 0.1% dismissal rate for Weapons Offense compared to 0.2% for public defender clients. This is a -0.1 percentage point difference based on 2,242 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Weapons Offense in Duval County is 98.9% with a public defender and 97.5% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 2.0% for public defenders and 1.6% for private attorneys. Duval County's difference of -0.1 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 · 2,242 cases analyzed · Duval County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026