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").
The Town of Parker is a Home Rule Municipality in Douglas County, Colorado, United States. As a self-declared "Town" under the Home Rule Statutes, Parker is the most populous town in the county. In recent years, Parker has become a commuter town at the southeasternmost corner of the Denver Metropolitan Area. As of the U.S. Census 2000, the town population was 23,558. Its population as of 2008 is estimated at 43,767, over 145 times its population of 285 when Parker incorporated in 1981. Parker is now the 17th most populous municipality in the State of Colorado. The town's rapid growth in recent decades is often credited to Jim Nicholson, whose fourteen years spent developing the area earned him the town's first "Cornerstone Award".