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").
The City of Falls Church is an independent city in Virginia, United States, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The city population was 11,169 in 2008, up from 10,377 in 2000. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an eighteenth-century Anglican parish, Falls Church gained township status within Fairfax County in 1875. In 1948, it was incorporated as the City of Falls Church, an independent city with county-level governance status. It is also referred to as Falls Church City. A broader area around the city has long been referred to as Falls Church, although these areas were not incorporated into the City and remain within Fairfax County. These include Seven Corners and other portions of the current Falls Church postal districts of Fairfax County and the area of Arlington County known as East Falls Church, which was part of the town of Falls Church from 1875 to 1936. For statistical purposes, the US Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the City of Falls Church with Fairfax City and Fairfax County.