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").
Slaughters is a city in Webster County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 238 at the 2000 census. Slaughters lies just west of US 41 and 9 1/2 miles east of Dixon. According to local tradition, it was named for Gustavus G. Slaughter, local storekeeper, who in 1855 won the right to name the new town and post office in a card game with his rival, blacksmith Frederick W. Stiman. The post office was established as Slaughtersville on January 29, 1856, with Henry A. Prater, postmaster. Slaughter himself served as postmaster from 1860 to 1865 and was succeeded by Stiman. Though the post office was renamed Slaughters in 1915, the town remained Slaughtersville from its incorporation in 1861 until 1967 when the Board on Geographic Names reversed an earlier decision and conformed to common usage and the present name of the post office. CSX Transportation runs through Slaughters and operates a siding track that is named after the city.