Trivia: SPOILERS: In season two, episode seven, when Father Bryce explodes and it is shown over and over from a multitude of angles, it is a direct homage to the 1978 film "The Fury." At the end of that film, a character explodes in a similar fashion, being shown over and over again from different angles. Series creator Don Mancini has discussed how much he enjoys "The Fury" in the past, and has thrown in some subtle references to it in the "Chucky" franchise.
Trivia: The book on exorcisms is attributed to an author named "Richard Darling." This is a slightly altered version of Rick Little Darling, the name of the property master who works on the series.
Answer: They were blamed for the death of Jake's foster brother, which was deemed a terrible accident, and they were sent to the reform school as a punishment. Presumably, when they had to leave the reform school given what happened, they were instead given community service as punishment.
TedStixon