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").
Pierson is a village in Montcalm County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 185. The village is within Pierson Township. In 1856, David S. Pierson acquired forty acres of land here. With Dexter Clark and John L. Shar, Pierson founded the community while it was still part of Mecosta County. Pierson opened the first post office in his home on January 29, 1857. It was platted in 1870 and incorporated as a village in 1873.