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").
Arthur is a village in Douglas County and Moultrie County in Illinois; Arthur's primary street, Vine Street, is the county line. The population was 2,203 at the 2000 census. The Arthur area is home to the largest and oldest Amish community in Illinois, which was founded in the 1860s. In 1877 the population was approximately 300 persons, with plans being made to incorporate as a village. This occurred in April in the County Court House in Moultrie County. The first village election was held on June 12, 1877 and C.G. McComb, Matt Hunsaker, W.H. Reeder, H.C. Jones, J.W. Sears, and Nick Thompson were elected trustees, and J.W. Barrum, clerk. The original town was laid out on the farms of M.H. Warren on the Moultrie side, and the Pendleton Murphy farm on the Douglas County side. Early additions to the town included those by Murphy, Reeves, Hunsaker, Gibson, Warren, Reeder, followed by Kensington, Campbell and Boyd, Bennet and Fitzjarrald, and more.