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").
Swampscott is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States located 12 miles up the coast from Boston in an area known as the North Shore. The population was 14,565 at the 2007 census. A former summer resort on Massachusetts Bay, Swampscott is today an affluent residential community which includes the village of Beach Bluff, as well as part of the neighborhood of Clifton. The town is home to Marian Court College. As of 2008 it was one of the top twenty wealthiest towns in Massachusetts.