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").
Irwinville is an unincorporated community in Irwin County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Fitzgerald micropolitan area. Irwinville is best known as the site of Jefferson Davis's capture at the end of the Civil War. On May 9, 1865, Jefferson Davis and a small group of officials camped in this pine forest, not knowing that Union calvary soldiers were in hot pursuit. At dawn they were surrounded by two independent groups of Union cavalry who were unaware of each other’s presence. Gunfire ensued until the federal forces realized they had been shooting at one another. Two Union cavalrymen died during the skirmish. Davis was then taken prisoner. The Jefferson Davis Memorial Historic Site is a Georgia State Park. Though the county seat was originally Irwinville, it has been relocated to Ocilla. Irwinville was also a part of the Works Progress Administration projects in the thirties. A small lakeside recreational area, originally called Crystal Lake (later changed to Crystal Beach) operated just outside of Irwinville from the middle of the twentieth century to 1998.