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").
Gibsland is a town in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,119 at the 2000 census. The community is best known for the nearby capture in 1934 of the bandits Bonnie and Clyde. F. Jay Taylor, president of nearby Louisiana Tech University at Ruston from 1962-1987, was born in Gibsland.