It is a testament to the American justice system that there are separate venues for handling adults accused of crime and juveniles. The presumption of innocence that applies in all criminal cases is enhanced in the juvenile system by the belief that there is an opportunity for reform. Indeed, in the Grand Strand region of South Carolina, a solid array of community programs and services exist to help parents help young people avoid trouble.

Experienced defense attorneys know the importance of such programs for treatment and diversion and look to leverage them to find constructive alternatives to the serious penalties that can be meted out under the law, even for juvenile offenses.

This comes to mind because of news earlier this month out of West Columbia. According to police, two young males, ages 17 and 16, were arrested after allegedly breaking into a bus and stealing some electronic equipment. The bus was supposedly being used as a residence by a caretaker for a nearby church.

Officials claim the youths actually broke into the bus on two different occasions. They say the first time was on the night of Jan. 6. According to the arrest warrants in the case, the two youths allegedly stole a GPS device at that time. The records claim the two returned to the bus on Sunday morning and that this time they left with a flat-screen TV and a computer.

Witnesses apparently alerted authorities during the Sunday morning incident and authorities say a K-9 unit tracked the two suspects to a nearby home where police say they recovered the items that had allegedly been stolen.

The current status of the charges against these two youths is not clear. One was being held in juvenile detention immediately after his arrests. Authorities said they planned to charge the younger person as an adult.

Source: Lexington Patch, "Two Teens Arrested on Burglary Charges," Hal Millard, Jan. 10, 2012