State-by-state guide:

South Carolina

S.C. Code Ann. § 20-7-8510 (1998): All juvenile records are confidential. However, records may be released by consent of the judge to persons having a legitimate interest in the case. The name, identity, or picture of a child must not be provided to or made public by a newspaper or radio or television station except as authorized by order of the court or unless the juvenile has been bound over to a court which would have trial jurisdiction of the offense if committed by an adult or the juvenile has been adjudicated delinquent in family court for violent crimes, grand larceny of a motor vehicle, a crime in which a deadly weapon was used; or distribution or trafficking in unlawful drugs. In addition, fingerprint records of a juvenile must not be disclosed for any purpose not specifically authorized by law or by a court order.

S.C. Code Ann. § 20-7-690 (1998): All juvenile records maintained by the Department of Social Services and the Central Registry of Child Abuse and Neglect are confidential. A person who disseminates or permits the dissemination of these records and the information contained in these records is guilty of a misdemeanor.

S.C. Code Ann. § 20-7-1360 (1998): Reiterates that juvenile records should be confidential; references S.C. Code Ann. § 20-7-690 (1998).

S.C. Code Ann. § 20-7-755 (1998): The public is to be excluded from juvenile hearings, but the judge can allow those persons with a direct interest in the case or the work of the court to attend.

Closing proceeding: The Supreme Court of South Carolina held that a judge’s decision to close a proceeding must be supported by specific findings explaining the balancing of interests and why the proceeding must be closed. According to the court, simply stating that an open proceeding would adversely affect the juvenile’s chances for rehabilitation is an inadequate finding. Ex parte Columbia Newspapers Inc., 333 S.E.2d 337 (S.C. 1985).