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").
McPherson is a city in and the county seat of McPherson County, Kansas, United States, in the central part of the state. The population was 13,770 at the 2000 census. The city is named after Union General James Birdseye McPherson, a Civil War general. It is home to McPherson and Central Christian Colleges.