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").
Ringold is a community in western McCurtain County, Oklahoma, 12 miles northwest of Wright City, Oklahoma. It was formerly called Burwell. A United States Post Office opened at Burwell, Indian Territory on October 31, 1906. It was named for William P. Burwell, first postmaster. Its name was changed to Ringold on May 10, 1911. Its name comes from Ringold, Texas, from which a number of its early white settlers came. Until the advent of Oklahoma’s statehood Burwell was located in Cedar County, Choctaw Nation, in the Indian Territory. Its residents had much in common with those of other communities in the area, some of which, such as Rattan, Oklahoma are now included in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma.