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").
Alakanuk (ah-LUCK-uh-nuck) is a 2nd-class city in the Wade Hampton Census Area of the Unorganized Borough in the western part of the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 652.