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").
Westport is a coastal town located on Long Island Sound in Fairfield County, Connecticut, 47 miles north of New York City in the United States. The population was estimated at 26,615 in 2005. Westport is one of the most affluent communities in the United States and is home to the Westport Country Playhouse, a longtime regional theater, the Levitt Pavilion providing free concerts, an arts council, the Westport Public Library, and a heritage as a former artists' colony.