17 year old runaway turning 18

[Unregistered]

Visit nyc

I want to visit NYC sometime by myself but I am 18 but my parents won't let me out of town by myself and I live on my own

[ccsmod1]

RE: Visit nyc

Hello, thank you for reaching out to us. It takes a lot of strength to reach out for help which you are doing. It is natural to want to visit a new city on your own as it can be fun and an adventure. As you are 18, you are legally able to go with or without parent’s consent but there may some questions you may want to consider. How might you get to NYC and how you would be able to provide for yourself? How might your parents react if you leave?
Again, we’re really glad that you reached out to us. It takes a lot to ask for help and you are trying to figure out your options which is really good to see. If you would like to talk further about your situation you may reach us at 1-800-RUNAWAY or chat with us between 4:30-11:30PM. We’re here to listen, here to help.

[Unregistered]

leaving before 18

I'm curious if the law can do anything if someone where to take off to another state 10 days before this person turns 18

[ccsmod3]

Re: leaving before 18

Hello and thanks for reaching out to us on our bulletin boards. You raise a good question and we can answer in a general sense as we aren't legal experts unfortunately. Running away itself is normally considered a status offense (meaning you haven't reached the age of majority yet.) However, some states do view 17 as a gray area and it's possible that even if police file a runaway or missing juvenile report, they may not actively search without a specific location. That said, crossing state lines with a minor (in the even an adult is helping the 17, almost 18 year-old) could be an added risk.

Hopefully that helps a bit and it might also help to keep in mind these situations tend to be circumstantial and we realize that can be frustrating. If you'd like more specific information and we know the cities/states, we can look up legal aid as well as the police non-emergency number. Good luck!

[Unregistered]

Help

I turn 18 in literally 34 days & I live in Illionis . My step dad recently went to jail for hitting my boyfriend of 1 year & we are engaged . Now my parents won't let me back around my boyfriend . I really want to move in with my boyfriend an his parents . What can do I ? Will I get in trouble if I move in with him without my parents ?

[ccsmod13]

re: Help

Hi, thank you for reaching out to us at the National Runaway Safeline. It seems that you are going through a difficult time at home. We want you to know that we are here for you and will try to help as best as we can.

It seems that your boyfriend and his parents are being very supportive by offering a safe place for you to stay. We are not legal experts, but can speak in general about situations like this. Generally, if you leave home being underage and without a parent’s consent, your parents have the right to file a runaway report. Once a report is filed, police may actively seek you and can bring you back home if found and can charge anyone you stayed under the harboring laws. One option you have is to call your local law enforcement and just ask hypothetically how they may handle this. You do not have to give identifying information to do this. If you would like assistance, you can call us and we can make a call out with you or on your behalf.

If you would like to talk further and explore more options, please feel free to reach out to us 24/7 at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We also have a live chat program that is available every day from 4:30 PM until 11:30 PM CST. We wish you the best of luck.

NRS

[rubios17]

17 turning 18

So I turn 18 in March 21 2015 I wanna leave with my boyfriend who's 18 on march 20 of 2015 can we get in truble by cops if I leave with him if in less then 24 hours I turn 18 ?

[ccsmod13]

re: 17 turning 18

Hi there, thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. It is great that you are asking questions to make sure you are making the best informed decision for you. We want you to know that we are here to listen and to help in the best way that we can.

Although we aren’t legal experts, we can speak generally about your situation. Running away isn’t necessarily illegal. It is considered a status offense, meaning you haven't reached the age of majority yet and you would not be arrested unless you are on some type of parole or probation. Generally, if you are under the age of majority and leave without permission, your legal guardians or parents have the right of filing a runaway report, at which point police may begin looking for you, and may return you back if found. The way this may be handled depends on the laws that apply to your state and the police’s discretion. One option you have is to call your local law enforcement and just ask hypothetically how they may handle this. You do not have to give identifying information to do this. If you would like assistance, you can call us and we can make a call out with you or on your behalf.

If you would like to talk further and explore more options, please feel free to reach out to us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We also have a live chat program that is available every day from 4:30 PM until 11:30 PM. We wish you the best of luck and hope to get your call or chat soon!

NRS

[Unregistered]

thinking about somethings

im 17 i will be 18 in i believe 9 months i got out of juvi/rehab on april23rd of this year. i have had previous runaway charges but i haven't done anything these past few months ive been home. my parents are going through a divorce please do not apologize or feel bad for me i don't care what my parents do with their relationship but, i want to move out and just be on my own my step dad who i currently live with he wants me to stay in the area and stay in contact with him but i just rather leave my boyfriend who is 19 he will be 20 in january he said he would go with me and that he assumes that once i reach the age of 18 that they wouldn't continue to look for me anymore which i s great because i wouldn't have that to worry about i assume right? me and my boyfriend want to have a family and its hard enough to be able to see him now and i want to just be with him and so i just would like some thoughts or other things to consider with this kind of decision.... thanks for anything you guys can offer me

[ccsmod8]

RE: thinking about somethings.

Hello,
Thanks so much for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. We know it can be kind of tough to ask for help or advice, but we are glad that you did. Hopefully we can help you think through options and help you make the best decision.

We are not legal experts, but we can speak in general terms about your situation. Typically, if you are under the age of 18, your legal guardian has the right to file a runaway report with the police. If the police are able to find you, they will take you home since it is not a crime to run away. If you were staying with anyone when the police find you and they were withholding some information about where you were located, those people may be charged with harboring a runaway.

Now on the same side of that, if your parents do not file a runaway report with the police they will not be notified that you have run away and they may not look for you. Also, after you turn 18, the police will most likely stop looking for you and you would no longer be considered a runaway because you would be a legal adult. If you want more definitive legal answers, you have the option to call your local police department and ask them hypothetical questions.

Sounds like you have been thinking about running away from home for quite some time now. Seems like you just want to get away from everything going on at home. What would your overall plan be (i.e long term housing, transportation, financial stability [do you have job, could you get one], access to food/clothes, etc.)? Having a solid plan and even having a back-up plan about what you are planning on doing it might be a good idea so that you can think about what is reasonably possible for you to do and want isn’t.

If you would like to speak with us over the phone, please feel free to call us at 1 (800) RUNAWAY (18007862929). We may be able to help you think things through and find any helpful resources. We also have an online chat service available every night from 4:30-11:30PM CST that is available through our website (www.1800runaway.org). We are here to listen and help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

We wish you the best of luck!

[Unregistered]

i want to runaway but wear to go

im 12 and want to runaway but im not sure where to go i feel my family dosent treet me good i have everything planed to leave exept where to go can you tell me where to go?

[ccsmod14]

Re: i want to runaway but wear to go

Hi there,

Thank you so much for reaching out to us. It sounds like you are going through a difficult time with your family but we are really glad that you reached out, we’re here to help as much as we can.

So you shared that you are wanting to leave home because your family does not treat you well, but you do not have a place to go to. This has got to be a really tough. We’re not legal experts here, but generally if you leave home before you are 18 without permission from legal guardians, they would have the right to make a runaway report. It’s not illegal to run away from home, but there are potential legal consequences for anyone that lets you stay with them- it is considered harboring a runaway.

Runaway and homeless youth shelters may be able to provide you a safe place to stay for a small amount of time if you are feeling unsafe in your home. If you call us at 1800runaway, we could try to locate some of those shelters that are near you. As an alternative, you can locate the nearest safe place to you using this website: http://nationalsafeplace.org/ anytime that you are feeling like you are in immediate need of leaving home and do not have a place to go to.

We’re here to help 24/7. Please do call or chat with us to talk more about your situation, we are here to help.

Best of luck,
NRS

[Unregistered]

17 and unsafe

Please respond as quickly as possible! My boyfriend is 17 years old. His mother is neglecting him because he still wants to be with me. She took away his clothes,shoes, tv, and his light for his room along with his fan , just because he left ilthe fan on while he was sleeping and because she doesn't like me. She throws things at him and hit him for no reason at all. She wakes him up out of his sleep just to abuse him physically and verbally. His parents kicked him out and wouldn't let him back Home during the second week of June but reported him as a runaway. Now he actually wants to get out of their unsafe home but he fears he would go to jail. How can he leVe without having to do time? He just wants to be safe.

[ccsmod14]

RE: 17 and unsafe

Hi there,
Thank you so much for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like your boyfriend is really going through a lot and we’re glad that you are reaching out on his behalf, we’re here to help as much as we can.

So it sounds like your boyfriend has been experiencing a lot of abuse at home. No one deserves to be abused in any way and we are sorry to hear that this has been going on. He deserves to feel safe in his own home. If reporting the abuse is something he’d like to discuss or move forward with, he can call Child Help USA at (800) 422 4453. While it is his right to report, it is his choice whether or not this happens. It also sounds like he had been kicked out before but his parents reported him as a runaway. If this were to happen again, he could make a report with Child Protective Services or Child Help USA. Kicking out a minor without providing an alternative place to stay could be considered neglect.

So we’re not legal experts unfortunately. Generally speaking, if someone leaves without consent from legal guardians before the age of 18, legal guardians have the right to make a runaway report. If a report is made, and the police find you they just bring you back home. Running away is a status offense, not a criminal offense so he should not be taken to jail for this. However, anyone that you stay with could potentially be charged for harboring.

It sounds like he is just looking for a safe place to be because home is not safe. This is understandable and he has the right to safety. We encourage him to give us a call at any time, we’re here 24/7 and we can try to locate shelters near him. As an alternative, he can look up Safe Places using this website: http://nationalsafeplace.org/.

Please call or chat to talk further. We’re here to support you and your boyfriend during this time.

Best of luck,
NRS

[Unregistered]

please help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hi i am 17 ill be 18 on november 3rd i am in foster care and currently under DHR custody i am planning on leaving when i turn 18 to go live with either my mom or dad but they both do drugs but i have no where else to go and im tired of being in DHR custody and in and out of foster homes so you are my last resort on what you think i should or can do please help me any advice willl be helpful thanks