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").
New Hope is a city in Madison County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population is 2,539. Originally named Cloud's Town in 1829 by its founder William Cloud, it was incorporated in 1832 under the name of Vienna. Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Reed of the 12th Indiana Calvary seized the town on May 29, 1864 during the American Civil War. Vienna was burned by the Union Army on December 15, 1864. All that remained were the post office and Masonic Lodge. Since there was already a post office called Vienna in southern Alabama, the rebuilt city was incorporated in 1883 as New Hope, taking its name from the New Hope Methodist Church.