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").
Chatham, New Jersey is one of The Chathams, a term which refers to two neighboring municipalities in Morris County, New Jersey – Chatham Borough and Chatham Township. The two are separate municipalities, the first municipality was settled in 1710 as a colonial English village in the Province of New Jersey. The second, more northern and more densely populated municipality was formed in 1806 as an American governmental form, a township form peculiar to the state of New Jersey, delineating a region including several communities that initially included the village dating from 1710 (from which it took its name). All except one of the communities included in the 1806 township governmental district seceded from it soon thereafter, when other forms of government became available to municipalities in the relatively new, post-revolution state of New Jersey, leaving only Green Village in an undefined rural district that experienced extensive residential development after 1960, when several farms and woodlands were sold off to developers. Two community services are shared by Chatham Borough and Chatham Township: since 1974 they have shared library services and in 1986 a joint school district was created and extended to most portions of Chatham Township for all grades. Some of the Chatham Township areas send their students to the Madison schools. Some portions of Chatham Township are provided federal post office services by the Chatham post office. Green Village, another early town like Chatham that dates to colonial times, remains partially in Chatham Township and has a separate post office and zip code. The residents of Chatham receive door-to-door delivery of mail and its post office provides rural delivery using roadside mailboxes to the portions of Chatham Township not served by Green Village.