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").
Durant is a city in Cedar, Muscatine, and Scott counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 1,677 at the 2000 census. The community is named in honor of Thomas C. Durant, one of the pioneers of the Transcontinental Railroad and an individual who contributed the bulk of funds needed to build the town's first public school. The Scott County portion of Durant is part of the Davenport–Moline–Rock Island, IA-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Muscatine County portion of the city is part of the Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area.