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").
Pearland is a city located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area and is in the counties of Brazoria, Fort Bend, and Harris. As of the census of 2000, the city's population was 37,640. As of 2008, Pearland is estimated to have a population of 90,700 according to city limit signs. . The estimate for the 2010 census has the population in excess of 121,000 residents The city's name is pronounced "pear" land (like the fruit), not "peer-land" or "pearl-land". In 2007, Forbes Magazine ranked Pearland as the 34 fastest growing suburb in the nation. It is therefore the fastest growing suburb in the Greater Houston area, and the 10 fastest growing in the state of Texas.