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").
Bivalve is a small town along the eastern shore of the lower Nanticoke River, near its mouth on the Chesapeake Bay, in Wicomico County, Maryland, United States. Bivalve takes its name from the oyster, upon which the town's economy once depended. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland Metropolitan Statistical Area.