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").
Free Union is a small unincorporated community in Albemarle County, Virginia, United States, ten miles north-northwest of Charlottesville. It has a small central business district (pictured at right) consisting of a private school, a doctor's office, a post office, a country store, a homebuilder, an automobile repair shop, and several dozen homes. Otherwise it is entirely rural in character.