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").
North Kansas City is a city in Clay County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,714 as of the 2000 census but a large business/industrial base swells the daytime population by thousands more. Originally a northern suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, it is the north side of Kansas City, Missouri which extends far north of North Kansas City's northernmost border. North Kansas City also adjoins the small municipality of Avondale, Missouri.