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").
Aromas is a census-designated place (CDP) in Monterey County, and San Benito County, California, United States. The CDP straddles the border of the two counties, with Monterey County to the west and San Benito County to the east. Santa Cruz County sits less than a mile to the Northwest, and Santa Clara County about two miles (3 km) to the North. The population was 2,797 at the 2000 census and was almost equally distributed between the two counties at 1,427 in Monterey County and 1,370 in San Benito County. Aromas is the only CDP in California that is divided between two or more counties.