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").
Waycross is the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Ware County in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 15,333 at the 2000 Census. A small portion of the city extends into Pierce County. According the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of this small section was estimated at just 9 in 2008. Waycross is the principal city of the Waycross micropolitan area, a micropolitan area that covers Pierce and Ware counties and had a combined population of 51,119 at the 2000 Census.