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").
Alanson is a village in Emmet County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 785. Alanson is in Littlefield Township on U.S. Highway 31 at the junction with M-68. Petoskey is about 12 miles southwest on US 31 and Mackinaw City and the Mackinac Bridge are about 25 miles north. Interstate 75 is about 11 miles to the east on M-68 at Indian River. The Alanson post office opened with the name Hinman on January 17, 1877 and changed to Alanson on June 22, 1882.