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").
Blythe is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Colorado River Valley (in California, the "Palo Verde Valley"), an agricultural area along the Colorado River. Blythe was named after Thomas Blythe, a gold prospector who established primary water rights to the Colorado River in the region in 1877. The city was incorporated on July 21, 1916. The population was 12,155 at the 2000 census.