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").
Merrill is a city in Lincoln County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,146 at the 2000 census. The city is located to the south of and adjacent to the Town of Merrill. The Merrill area had a 2000 census population of 16,289, and comprises the core of the United States Census Bureau's Merrill mSA, which includes all of Lincoln County . Together with the Wausau MSA it forms the Wausau-Merrill CSA. As of the 2000 census, the CSA's total population was 155,475.