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").
Alamo, Texas, in what is nicknamed the "Land of Two Summers," is a town in the irrigated area of southern Hidalgo County, Texas. This town was incorporated in 1924, and it was named for the Alamo Land and Sugar Company. It is located in an area of abundant vegetable farming and citrus groves, and it is a noted winter resort/retirement town. Alamo is also one of the Rio Grande Valley's gateways to Mexico, via U.S. Route 281 and Nuevo Progreso, Tamaulipas. Alamo's population was just 14,760 at the time of the 2000 U.S. Census. Alamo is supposedly a part of the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metropolitan area.