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").
Guaynabo (is a municipality in the northern part of Puerto Rico, located in the northern coast of the island, north of Aguas Buenas; south of Cataño; east of Bayamón; and west of San Juan. Guaynabo is spread over 9 wards and Guaynabo Pueblo . Guaynabo is considered, along with its neighbors - San Juan and the municipalities of Bayamón, Carolina, Cataño, Toa Alta, Canovanas, Caguas, Toa Baja, and Trujillo Alto - to be part of the Área Metropolitana of San Juan . It is also part of the larger San Juan-Caguas-Fajardo Combined Statistical Area. The municipio has a land area of 70.26 km² and a population of 100,053 as of the 2000 census.