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").
Mount Vernon is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Nearby CDPs are Fort Belvoir (west) and Fort Hunt, Virginia (north), The population was 28,582 at the 2000 census. While "Mount Vernon" -- drawn from the Mount Vernon plantation, the home of George Washington located south of Alexandria -- is often used locally to refer to the entire unincorporated area between Old Town Alexandria and Fort Belvoir, Mount Vernon as defined by the Census Bureau encompasses only the part of it coextensive with Alexandria ZIP code 22309, bounded by the Potomac River to the south, Fort Belvoir to the west, Huntley Meadows Park to the north, and Little Hunting Creek to the east.