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").
Haugan (also Waugan) is an unincorporated community in Mineral County, Montana, United States. Haugan is situated 5 miles east of the Idaho border and 90 miles west of Missoula on Interstate 90 at the Haugan Exit #16. Haugan was named for H. G. Haugan, Land Commissioner of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. Haugan was established and maintained to serve as a pusher station for the Milwaukee Road railroad trains ascending the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Mountains. Haugan was one of several area towns to be destroyed during the Great Fire of 1910. Haugan had a post office for approximately seventy years in the twentieth century. Opened on March 25, 1911, the post office closed on August 31, 1944, only to reopen four years later. This second post office operated from June 16, 1948 to July 22, 1983. Haugan is surrounded by the Lolo National Forest and is the site of the Savenac Nursery Historic District. The nearby Haugan/Randolph Creek Loop Snowmobile Trail offers cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and other winter sport. Also nearby is the summit of Haugan Mountain. The community is most commonly known for its Silver Dollars tourist area. Signs telling drivers the distance are seen on Interstate 90 around Western Montana, Northern Idaho, and Eastern Washington.