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").
Barker is an unincorporated community in western Harris County, Texas, United States. It lies along local roads off Interstate 10 and seventeen miles west of downtown Houston. Its elevation is 102 feet (31 m), and it is located at 29°47′4″N 95°41′6″W / 29.78444°N 95.685°W / 29.78444; -95.685 (29.7843955, -95.6849469). Barker was originally built along the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, which built through the area in 1895; the community was named for Ed Barker, a railroad contractor. The community's first postmaster was appointed in 1898. Although Barker was originally an agricultural community, the area is now primarily residential.