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").
Soledad meaning solitude and lonely in Spanish is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. Soledad is located 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of 190 feet (58 m). The population was 28,075 for the 2006 intercensal estimate. The town is located near the original Spanish mission, Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, founded October 9, 1791 by Fermín Francisco de Lasuén, the 13th of 21 missions in the California mission chain. Soledad is located in one of the premiere wine grape growing regions of California with over twenty vineyards and wineries within a thirty mile radius, several of which have tasting rooms and offer a wide selection of wines for sale. Some of the Vineyards and Wineries located nearby are Chalone, Scheid, Paraiso Vineyards, Pisoni Vineyards, Hahn Estates Smith & Hook, San Saba, J. Lohr, Kendall-Jackson, Ventana, Hess Select, Estancia, The Michaud Vineyard, and Graff Family Vineyards. Also located near Soledad is the Salinas Valley State Prison, a maximum security penal institution which includes a 64 bed inpatient psychiatric program primarily servicing high security inmates who have a major mental disorder that has diminished their ability to function within the prison environment. Adjacent to it is the medium security Correctional Training Facility.