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").
Peru is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 416 at the 2000 census. Originally known as Bromley, the town name was changed to Peru by the land grantees as a way of attracting land buyers to an area that had been described as "36 square miles of trees and bears."