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").
Ankeny is a city in Polk County, Iowa. The population was 27,118 at the 2000 census. A special census taken by the city in 2005 counted 36,161 residents, while the United States Census Bureau estimated that 42,287 residents lived there in 2008. It is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.