Weapons Offense in Miami-Dade County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Miami-Dade County, we compared 1,637 Weapons Offense cases with public defenders against 1,005 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 1.4 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

2.5%
PD Dismissal Rate
1,637 cases
1.1%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
1,005 cases
-1.4 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney
Total Cases 1,637 1,005
Dismissal Rate 2.5% 1.1%
Conviction Rate 93.5% 89.6%
Guilty Rate 61.8% 55.4%
Adjudication Withheld 31.6% 34.1%
Diversion Rate 2.9% 8.4%
Avg Sentence 3.0 years 3.6 years
Avg Fine $407.49 $461.21
Avg Probation 2.3 years 2.7 years

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). Miami-Dade County's -1.4 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Miami-Dade County 2.5% 1.1% -1.4 pts
Florida (Statewide) 2.0% 1.6% -0.4 pts

Other Charges in Miami-Dade County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Larceny / Theft 8,677 1.1% 2,964 0.5%
Drug Possession 5,609 0.7% 886 1.1%
Other 2,488 7.7% 3,567 35.2%
Resisting Officer 3,936 2.6% 1,520 1.1%
Battery 3,220 2.7% 2,056 1.0%
Fraud 1,833 0.7% 1,918 0.2%
Burglary 2,738 1.2% 773 0.9%
Traffic Offense 2,357 8.0% 995 9.5%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Miami-Dade County, private attorney clients have a 1.1% dismissal rate for Weapons Offense compared to 2.5% for public defender clients. This is a -1.4 percentage point difference based on 2,642 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Weapons Offense in Miami-Dade County is 93.5% with a public defender and 89.6% 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. Miami-Dade County's difference of -1.4 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 · 2,642 cases analyzed · Miami-Dade County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026