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").
For the city in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, see Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown is a town in Bleckley, Laurens, Twiggs, and Wilkinson Counties in the U.S. state of Georgia, although primarily in Wilkinson County. The population was 287 at the 2000 census. The Twiggs County portion is part of the Macon Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Laurens County portion is part of the Dublin Micropolitan Statistical Area. The remaining Wilkinson and Bleckley County portions are not part of any metropolitan or micropolitan area.