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").
Spencerville is a community in northern Choctaw County, Oklahoma, 12 miles northeast of Hugo, Oklahoma, adjacent to the Pushmataha County border. Spencerville, named for U.S. Secretary of War John C. Spencer, was home to Spencer Academy, a Choctaw Nation boarding school for boys. It was founded in 1844. It was here that Negro freedman "Uncle" Wallace Willis composed “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”. He was inspired by the Red River which reminded him of the Jordan River and of the Prophet Elijah being taken to heaven by a chariot. Spencer Academy was operated on behalf of the Choctaw Indians by the Presbyterian Board of Missions. Prior to Oklahoma's statehood Spencerville was in Towson County, Choctaw Nation--but only barely. Nearby Frazier Creek formed the boundary separating it from Cedar County to the north. The Kiamichi River formed the boundary separating it from Kiamitia County (Kiamichi County) to the west. A United States Post Office operated at Spencerville, Indian Territory from January 22, 1844 to July 22, 1847 and was established again on May 17, 1902. The community and its post offices took their name from the academy. The academy later relocated to Nelson, Oklahoma several miles to the west. Like the community of Hamden -- also on the Choctaw and Pushmataha county boundary -- and Honobia, on the Pushmataha and Le Flore county border -- Spencerville straddles the county line and defies classification as belonging solely to one county or the other. Residents of both counties traded there, used its postal services, and worshipped there. The site of old Spencerville is less than 1,000 yards from the Pushmataha County border.