In a criminal case, the state, through a prosecutor, initiates the suit, while in a civil case the victim brings the suit. Persons convicted of a crime may be incarcerated, fined, or both. Criminal defense attorneys represent clients who have been accused of committing a crime, and defend their rights at each stage of a misdemeanor or felony case -- from an arrest to an appeal after conviction. Criminal defense attorneys may be hired privately or provided by the government (called "public defenders").
Ragland is a town in St. Clair County, Alabama, United States southeast of Ashville. At the 2000 census the population was 1,918. It is part of the Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman Combined Statistical Area. An F4 tornado struck southwest from here at 10:55 in the morning on Palm Sunday March 27, 1994. The National Weather Service of Birmingham issued a tornado warning for northern Calhoun, southeastern Etowah, and southern Cherokee counties at 11:27. The tornado destroyed Piedmont's Goshen United Methodist Church twelve minutes later.