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").
Landers is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California. The town lies in the Homestead Valley of the Mojave Desert, northeast of Flamingo Heights. The closest large towns are Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree. The town has its own small airport, Landers Airport. Near Landers is Giant Rock, a large freestanding boulder. In the 1950s through the 1970s, it was a popular gathering point for UFO believers. UFO contactee George Van Tassel built his Integratron in the Giant Rock area. The area was also the epicenter of the Landers Earthquake, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake on June 28, 1992 which caused considerable structural damage to the surrounding area, and one death, that of a six-year-old child. The image shown most frequently on the news was the complete collapse of the northern wall of the Yucca Lanes Bowling Center. It was later revealed that this wall was in fact a temporary one designed for easy removal should the building be expanded at a future date. The ZIP Code is 92285 and the community is inside area code 760.