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").
Sierra Blanca is a census-designated place (CDP) in and the county seat of Hudspeth County, Texas, United States. The population was 533 at the 2000 census. The town, founded in 1881 at the completion point of a long-sought southern transcontinental railway, was named for nearby Sierra Blanca Mountain, which was named for the white poppies which grew on it (sierra blanca is Spanish for white mountain).