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").
Westminster is a city in Oconee County, South Carolina, United States. It was started mostly as a station on the Southern Railway. Then as stores, shops and factories started to set up around the train stop, it bloomed into a decent-sized town. Its peak of expansion came in the 1920s. The population was 2,743 at the 2000 census. The train depot, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, burned due to vandalism in 2005. It has been rebuilt. Westminster is home to several industries; among them are Beacon Blankets (formerly a division of Pillowtex, now a division of Faribault Woolen Mills), and a US Engine Valve plant.