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").
West Columbia is a city in Brazoria County in the U.S. state of Texas within the greater Houston metropolitan area. The population was 4,255 at the 2000 census. The first Congress of the Republic of Texas was convened in West Columbia on October 1836 (it was then named simply Columbia).