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").
Mount Prospect is a village in Elk Grove and Wheeling Townships in Cook County, Illinois, about 22 miles (35 km) northwest of downtown Chicago, making it one of the inner suburbs. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 56,265. In 2009, BusinessWeek magazine ranked Mount Prospect as the best place in the country to raise children.