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").
Libertyville is a northern suburb of Chicago in Lake County, Illinois, United States. It is located 5 miles west of Lake Michigan on the Des Plaines River. The 2000 census population was 20,742; the 2005 estimate was 21,760. (There is also a township of the same name, which includes the village and some surrounding areas. ) Located in northeastern Illinois southwest of Waukegan and west by northwest of Lake Forest, its immediate neighbors are Mundelein to the west, Lake Bluff to the east, Gurnee to the North and Vernon Hills to the south. Terry Weppler was elected mayor of Libertyville on April 8, 2009. Running on a platform of improving Libertyville by removing incompetence, he defeated incumbent Mayor Jeffrey Harger, 71 percent to 29 percent.