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").
Lynn Haven is a city in Bay County, Florida, United States, north of Panama City. The population was 12,451 at the 2000 census. It has the smaller population of the two principal cities of the Panama City, Florida-Lynn Haven, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2005, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 15,677.