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").
Shawnee Mission, Kansas is a name created by the United States Postal Service to describe an area of Johnson County, Kansas that contains numerous towns. Parts of southern Overland Park are not part of Shawnee Mission as they were annexed from unincorporated Stanley and use zip code 66085. The following towns are included in this area. Countryside Fairway Lake Quivira (the northern part is in Wyandotte County, Kansas) Leawood Lenexa Merriam Mission Mission Hills Mission Woods Overland Park Prairie Village Roeland Park Shawnee Stanley (unincorporated) Westwood Westwood Hills The name Shawnee Mission derives from the Shawnee Methodist Mission, a mission to the Shawnee tribe, founded in 1830 in present-day Wyandotte County, Kansas by the Methodist church. The mission was moved to what is now Johnson County in 1839. The county was named for Rev. Thomas Johnson, the first missionary sent by the church. The Shawnee Mission School District encompasses most of the area. If the independent cities that constitute Shawnee Mission were to incorporate into a single municipality, its 2005 population estimate would be 355,260 (up from 325,147 in 2000), and would surpass Wichita as Kansas' largest city. Shawnee Mission is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.