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").
Sparta is a city in Randolph County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,486 at the 2000 census. The city's claim to fame is as the location where the 1967 Academy Awards Best Picture winning film In the Heat of the Night was filmed.