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").
Algonac is a city in St. Clair County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,613 at the 2000 census. Algonac is located at the southern end of the St. Clair River, just before it splits into a large delta region known as the St. Clair Flats. The St. Clair River drains Lake Huron into Lake St. Clair and is part of the Great Lakes Waterway. At the center of Algonac is Algonac City Park, a park which contains a half-mile long boardwalk along the St. Clair River. Just to the north of the city is Algonac State Park. Algonac was the birthplace of Emily Helen Butterfield, artist and first woman to be licensed as an architect in Michigan. She was famous for innovations in church architecture.