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").
Marked Tree is a city in Poinsett County, Arkansas in the United States, along the St. Francis River, at the mouth of the Little River. The population was 2,800 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Jonesboro, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geologically, the area marks the southern end of the New Madrid Fault. The city got its name from a tree located on the bank of the St. Francis River until 1890 that had been slashed to mark a section of the river where Indians could walk about 120 yards (110 m) across land to reach the Little River and avoid paddling twelve miles (19 km) upstream. It is the only city in the world with that name.