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").
Royersford is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 32 miles (51 km) northwest of Philadelphia, on the Schuylkill River. The town drew its name from the location of a ford across the Schuylkill River, which happened to be adjacent to land owned by the Royer family. Early in the twentieth century, it had extensive stove and brass factories, glass and bottle works, embroidery and silk mills, a dye and bleaching plant, bridge works, and manufactories of bricks, gas meters, stockings, shirts, shafting parts, wagons, agricultural implements, etc. The population stood at 2,607 people in 1900, and at 3,073 in 1910. The population was 4,246 at the 2000 census. The borough was formed from the southeastern corner of Limerick Township in 1879. Royersford Borough is a member of the Spring-Ford Area School District.