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").
Benwood is a city in Marshall County, West Virginia, along the Ohio River. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,585 at the 2000 census. Benwood was chartered in 1853 and incorporated in 1895. The name of the city is derived from "Ben's Woods" as Benjamin McMechen (1777 - 1855) inherited that portion of land from the estate of his father, William McMechen (1724 - 1797), and built his homestead upon it.