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").
Miranda (formerly, Jacobsen's) is an unincorporated community in Humboldt County, California. It is located 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Phillipsville, at an elevation of 351 feet (107 m). The ZIP Code is 95553. The town was named by a former postmistress and is within a five minute walk of the south fork of the Eel River, amidst giant redwood trees. Miranda is on the Avenue of the Giants between Myers Flat to the north and Phillipsville to the south. The post office was opened on August 26th, 1905. It is unclear when exactly it became a settlement prior to that, though older residents will tell you the earliest they can remember is their folks coming up from San Francisco during the California Gold Rush era of the 1840s and '50s. Besides the post office, the town boasts one restaurant, a combination motel, market, and gas station (all owned by one family), a Seventh-day Adventist church, a Latter-Day Saints Church, a small, rural high school encompassing grades 8-12, a Community Grange, two gift shops, and an active Volunteer Fire Department. There is a glass gallery one mile south of Miranda on the Avenue of the Giants in the historical unincorporated area formerly known as Firhaven. South Fork High School is the only regular high school of Southern Humboldt Unified School District. The school's name refers to the South Fork of the Eel River. Osprey Learning Center, an alternative continuation high school, is located across the football field from SFHS in facilities that formerly housed the now-defunct Miranda Junior High School. The ZIP Code is 95553. The community is inside Area code 707. Elevation is said to be 351 feet at the town sign, though the terrain is generally not flat and encompasses sea level to over 2,000-foot elevations. Miranda is in the PST zone and observes Daylight Savings.