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").
Brandon is an unincorporated community in Hill County in Central Texas. It is located at the intersection of State Highway 22 and FM 1243, approximately ten miles east of Hillsboro. Brandon had an estimated population of eighty in 2000. Area students attend school in the nearby town of Bynum. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 76628.