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").
Crisfield is a city in Somerset County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,723 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Salisbury, Maryland Metropolitan Statistical Area. Crisfield has the distinction of being the southernmost incorporated city in Maryland. The city now known as Crisfield began as Annemessex, a small fishing village. Its name was changed to Somers Cove, after Benjamin Summers. Only after the business potential for seafood was discovered did the quiet fishing town grow into a large city, due to the efforts of John W. Crisfield in bringing the Pennsylvania Railroad to the town. Crisfield briefly became the second most populous city in the entire state of Maryland, known as the "Seafood Capital of the World"; indeed, its success was so great that the train soot and oyster shells prompted the extension of the city's land into the marshes, so that the downtown area is literally built atop oyster shells, a common claim by those from the city. Crisfield began to slip into decline as the declining health of the Chesapeake Bay began to reduce the watermen's catches. The city has recently seen the construction of condominiums; however, the city still has not seen a significant population growth. However, a Strategic Revitalization Plan is underway and the city's sewer line has been upgraded recently to accommodate the growing needs as more development takes place. Currently, Crisfield is largely a destination for tourism. It hosts many events and festivals, the most prominent of which is the National Hard Crab Derby.