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").
Quanah is a city in and the county seat of Hardeman County, Texas, United States, 192 miles (309 km) northwest of Fort Worth. In 1900, 1,651 people lived in Quanah; and in 1910, 3,127 resided there. The population was 3,022 at the 2000 census. It is named for Quanah Parker, the last Comanche chief. The community was organized in 1884 as a stop on the Fort Worth and Denver Railway. It became the county seat in 1890. The courthouse, constructed in 1908, anchors the historic downtown district. The courthouse was financed by a bond election approved by voters in 1906. The project architect was R.H. Stuckey of Chillicothe. It has both domed cupola and ionic columns. Southeast of Quanah and south of Chillicothe is the ghost town of Medicine Mound, which consists of two buildings. One is a restoration of a former general store which highlights the history of rural America. The curator is Myna Potts. Quanah is home to a branch of the Helen J. Farabee Mental Health Centers. Legendary Texas Ranger Captain Bill McDonald lived in Quanah, where he engaged in a shootout in 1893 with Childress County Sheriff John P. Matthews. McDonald died in Wichita Falls and is interred at Quanah.