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").
Lithonia is a suburban village in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, and it is incorporated as a city. Lithonia's population was 2,187 at the 2000 census. Lithonia is located at 33°42′46″N 84°6′21″W / 33.71278°N 84.10583°W / 33.71278; -84.10583 (33.712658, -84.105897). According to the United States Census Bureau, this village has a total area of 0.8 square miles, all land. "Lithonia" means "city/town of stone". Lithonia is in the heart of the Georgian granite-quarrying and viewing region, hence the name of the town, from the Greek lithos, for stone. The huge nearby granite dome - the world's largest, Stone Mountain, is composed largely of a rock called Lithonia gneiss, a form of granite. The city of Lithonia is in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. The Lithonia Lighting Company, a manufacturer of household light fixtures, was founded in Lithonia in 1946, but it was moved to nearby Conyers in 1957.