A thirteen-year-old caught shoplifting is arrested, charged, and enters the juvenile justice system with a record that follows them through adolescence. Another thirteen-year-old caught shoplifting is diverted to a community program: twenty hours of service at a food bank, sessions with a counselor, and an apology to the store owner. No charges filed, no record created, no court appearance. Both committed the same offense, but one will have interactions with police and courts permanently documented while the other gets a chance to make amends without lasting consequences.