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").
Thompson is a rural town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,878 at the 2000 census. The 10 villages of Thompson include: East Thompson, Wilsonville, Fabyan, Quinebaug, Quaddick, Mechanicsville, Grosvenordale, North Grosvenordale, Thompson Hill, and West Thompson. Thompson is located in the northeastern corner of the state and is bordered on the north by Webster, Massachusetts, on the east by Douglas, Massachusetts and Burrillville, Rhode Island and on the south by Putnam. Thompson has the highest-banked race track (Thompson International Speedway, a 5/8 mile oval) in New England. This speedway holds one of the biggest race programs in New England, "The World Series of Auto Racing", where 14 divisions and about 600 cars show up each fall. Another claim to fame is that the Tri-State Marker is located just on the border of Thompson. The term "Swamp Yankee" is thought to have originated in Thompson during the American Revolution in 1776. Thompson is also known as the site of the Great East Thompson Train Wreck in 1891, one of the worst train wrecks in American history and the only one to involve four trains. Ossian Everett Mills, founder of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity, is buried in a small family plot in Thompson.