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").
Whiteland is a town in Pleasant and Franklin townships, Johnson County, Indiana, United States. The population was 3,958 at the 2000 census. Whiteland is located in north/central Johnson County approximately 19 miles (31 km) south of Indianapolis in Johnson County, which is one of the counties circling the capital city itself and therefore considered part of the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Major access roads to get to Whiteland are I-65 (Exit 95 is the Whiteland Exit). South on U.S. 31 from Indianapolis and North from Columbus. Whiteland was incorporated on May 3, 1886; however, the town was beginning to blossom as early as 1858. Three businesses formed the center of Whiteland. When the first plat was laid out, it consisted of 40 lots. Today, Whiteland has approximately 1,600 lots. The estimated population from the U.S. Census Bureau, as of July 1, 2003 is 4,202. This represents about a 2% annual growth rate since the 2000 U.S. Census. Formal education began when the first school house was built in 1869 and served as the town's school until the 1950s. In 1957, a new high school was built. The Class of 1958 was the first class to graduate from the new Whiteland High School. In 1965, Clark High School and Whiteland High School united to form Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation and what is now known as Whiteland Community High School. The old Clark High School became Clark Elementary School and additional schools Break-O-Day Elementary School, Whiteland Elementary School and Clark-Pleasant Middle School were built and opened later in the 1960s and '70s. Clark-Pleasant Intermediate School was added to the district as of 2004 and Pleasant Crossing Elementary School is the newest addition, completed in the winter of 2007.