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").
Moncks Corner is a town in and the county seat of Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 5,952 at the 2000 census. Moncks Corner was, during colonial time, a major settlement area of French Protestant Huguenots who came to South Carolina as a result of persecution in Europe. Many Berkeley and adjacent county surnames today evidence this French influence. Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion was born near Moncks Corner, and is now honored by the naming of Francis Marion National Forest nearby. As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, Moncks Corner is included within the Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Town of Moncks Corner, named for landowner Thomas Monck, dates back to 1728. It began as a trading post with a few taverns and stores. The Northeastern Railroad laid its tracks in 1856 and the train depot became the center of a new Town of Moncks Corner. It is recorded by the South Carolina Secretary of State's office that the municipality of the Town of Moncks Corner was chartered on December 26, 1885 and incorporated December 15, 1909. The Town of Moncks Corner was granted the trade mark "Capital of Santee Cooper Country" by the South Carolina Secretary of State September 9, 1999 and again October 21, 2004. The trade mark is a symbol of the abundant outdoor activities such as horseback riding, hiking, water sports, boating and the best freshwater fishing in the South. Town of Moncks Corner is also the home of Santee Cooper’s Corporate office complex.