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").
Loyalton is a city in Sierra County, California, United States. The population was 862 at the 2000 census. The ZIP code for the community is 96118. Wired telephone numbers in the community follow the format (530) 993-xxxx. The town is near the north extent of State Route 49, which ends at State Route 70 in Vinton, California. According to Rand-McNally, it is a fifty mile drive on State Route 49 to the county seat, Downieville. Many of the population are ranchers, loggers, former loggers, or suburbanites escaping from the growing Reno-Tahoe area.