17 year old runaway turning 18

[Unregistered]

Help

So as of right now my father tricked me into flying down to LA for a "3-Day vacation" and it turns out they didn't get me a plane ticket back. I have a girlfriend, who will be 19 by the time we do this, back home in Northern California and she had an idea to where I fly back and go to Oregon and stay with her father until I turn 18, I'm currently 17 and a half, I'm just worried if I was reported as a runaway would the cops go that far into trying to find me or since I'm gonna be 5 months until 18 would they even care? There's no possible way I can live in LA that long so as of right now this is my only option

[ccsmod7]

Re: Help

Hello there,

Thanks for reaching out today. That sounds really unfair and hurtful that your dad tricked you into going on a 3 day vacation and then made you stay in L.A.

Your rights depend on who your legal guardian(s) is(are). If you were staying with your mom or another guardian when your dad made you leave, you might have some rights to return there. We are not custody experts, but we can provide you with legal aid resources if that is the case and you need to know your custody rights. If your dad has no custody rights over you, he might be at risk for kidnapping charges.

Unfortunately, the legal age you can leave your guardian without permission is 18. So the easiest way you can leave is with your dad’s permission. However, it sounds like you dad can be pretty manipulative and probably would not give you permission.

If you leave without permission, he does have the right to file a runaway report for you with the police. Running away is not typically illegal, rather it is a status offense due to your age and is not something that would usually stay on your permanent record. If a report is filled and police find you, you typically would be returned home. Since you are attempted to travel a distance, it is possible that police could detain you if they find you until your parents can reach you. If your dad knows where your girlfriend’s dad lives, he can tell the police that address to see if they would look there for you. It is hard to say what exactly the police would do, and if they would communicate across departments to look for you. One other thing to consider, is that if police find you at your girlfriend’s dad’s house, your dad might be able to press harboring a runaway charges against him.

One thing you might try, is to call out to your local police department to see if they accept 17 year old runaway reports, and if they would return you home if they find you. They usually do, but sometimes police departments take other actions for youth who are close to turning 18 like taking the report but not actively looking for them. You can also ask if they would pursue harboring a runaway charges for 17 year olds.

We strongly encourage you to call or chat us if you would like to go over your situation in more detail and help with brainstorming your options. We can also provide you with those legal aid resources if you would like.

Best wishes,

-NRS

[Unregistered]

Re: 17 year old runaway turning 18

Im in California. Im 17 and my boyfriend is 18 and my parents filed an investigation on him for aiding and abedding a minor. Im going to be 18 in a month and it seems like the abuse is worse because im getting older. My boyfriends mom said i could stay with her anytime. I really need to get out of this house ASAP!! What are my options? Can my boyfriend get in trouble?Please Help.

[ccsmod15]

Re: 17 year old runaway turning 18

Hi,

Thank you very much for reaching out. It sounds like you are in a stressful situation. It’s understandable that you don’t want to be there anymore. You have many options though, and we are here to help and support you as best we can. We are not legal experts here, but we can connect you with some legal aid that may be able to help you better regarding legal issues.
As far as we know, your boyfriend’s mom may be charged with harboring a runaway, depending on what state you live in.
We offer a few services that are available to you. If you would like, we can mediate a conference call between you and your mom, we can relay a message to her from you, or we can connect you with other organizations and resources,.
If you would like to explore other options, feel free to reach out to us on our online chat at www.1800runaway.org or give us a call at 1-773-880-9865

Thanks again for reaching out and best of luck!

[Guest]

can i run away by my self and not get in truble if i am 18

[ccsmod0]

Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to write to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you want to know since you are 18 can you runaway. We want you to know that we are not legal experts but in most states the age or majority is 18. (Nebraska 19, Alabama 20) This means that you are legally responsible for yourself and your parents/ guardians can no longer control what you do and where you go. So if you are to leave home it is not considered running away it is called moving out. On the other hand your parents/guardians are no longer required to provide you with food, shelter, or financial assistance anymore. We understand that becoming an adult is a big step and we want to make sure that you know that you are supported during this time.
Again, we want to thank you for reaching out to us and we hope this resources is able to clarify things for you.
Best of luck,
NRS

[Guest]

if you are 18 and you want to run away and u live in North carolina, can u get arrested? or made to be back home?

[ccsmod8]

Hello there -

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to get into contact with us here at the National Runaway Safeline on our public forum, we are always here to listen and here to help in any way that we can. Hopefully by supporting you there are other that are reading through this thread that can relate can feel helped as well. As you might have read in our countless other threads or even right above this one you have posted addressing this same question, we can tell you that leaving at 18 years old is not considering a crime in most state because the legal age of majority in 18. As noted above, this excludes Nebraska, Alabama, and Mississippi which have high ages of majority. But in North Carolina you are free to move out of your parents’ house without consequences.
Hope this information helps! Best of luck!

[Guest]

Hi im 17 about to turn 18 may 26 I live in Paxton IL. I want to move out of my parents house into a friends house because of some issues going on wit the family. He is a friend of mine n he is 24. could my parents call the police if I left even though I am turning 18 may 26. I wanna be my own person. can u give me any advice or answers.

[ccsmod14]

Hi there,

Thank you for writing to us here at National Runaway Safeline (NRS). We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on. It sounds like you’re quite overwhelmed by things at home right now. Your safety and well-being is important, you do not have to face this alone---there are different forms of help out there for you.

You mentioned wanting to know how you can leave home before turning 18. We’re not legal experts here but we can speak generally about your options. 18 is generally the age that an individual may leave home without a parent or legal guardian’s permission, this varies from state to state depending on the age of majority. If you are under 18 and leave home, your parent/guardian may file you as a runaway and you may be returned home by police (which is not a criminal offense, it is a status offense). Also, those you stay with may run the risk of being charged with harboring a runaway (this is a criminal offense). For more specifics on the law, the local non-emergency police or legal aid may better answer legal questions.
Please remember you can reach us directly to explore more or other options by calling our 24 hour hotline, 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or through our Live Chat which is open every day from 4:30p to 11:30p CST and can be accessed here:

http://www.1800runaway.org/

National Runaway Safeline
[email protected] (crisis email)
1-800-RUNAWAY (24 Hour Hotline)

Take care,
NRS

[Guest]

This site won't let me sign up so I'm sorry but I'm writing my question in this comment . So I'm in foster care, and in probation. I ran away when I was 17. I'm 18 now. What is going to happen to me or could happen to me??!?!!!!!?!??

[ccsmod2]

Hi,

Thanks for reaching out. Unfortunately we aren't legal experts so we don't really know what will happen to you or what could happen. You may want to ask your probation officer for more details surrounding your case. It is usually best to ask a legal counselor about possible consequences.

Best of luck,
NRS

[Guest]

Um ive never been on here before so i dont know if your supost to just comment or find a different way to post but i have a question about being a runnaway. My sister is 17 and is still currently on probation, she turns 18 in 31 days and she ran from the detention center here in mobile county and shes trying to stay gone until she turns 18 the dentention center only help her bc she ranaway in the past to protect her bf when he ran from a abusive home but she ran this time to get out of the detention center and her boyfriend is with her to help her this time what kind of trouble could she get into for running away from syc- strickland youth center in mobile county??

[ccsmod1]

Thank you for reaching out to us. It sounds like you’re facing a tough situation
We are not legal experts, but, speaking generally, here are a couple of factors to consider. If a guardian approves, a youth can live elsewhere. The guardian would then be saying, yes, I know where they are and I approve it.
Also, if both your mom and your dad have guardianship, it’s possible that your dad can approve of where you stay next.
If this is a question of you running away, without telling any of your guardians where you’re going, know that it’s never illegal to run away. The police’s job is to return you to your guardian if they find you.
Finally, remember that your safety is the most important. If you’re traveling by yourself, consider having someone to contact if you get in a difficult situation. Also, consider if you have anyone you can reach out to in the new place where you going, who can provide support if you need it.
Thank you for reaching out. This is a big step, but it’s great that you’re trying to figure out what the best next step for you is.

[Guest]

Well see she doesnt want to go back to the detention center but she dont wanna do actual big person jail time either just for being a runaway from a juvenile detention so she wants to know if its possible if they can still put her in jail for runing away from a detention center but might i put in they told her she could leave if she wanted to bc she was not behind any locked doors she was only in the crisis center?

[Guest]

Can they stick her in big jail like metro for runing away from the crisis center??

[Guest]

Can she be stuck in metro for running away from the crisis center when shes not even behind locked door and they told her she could leave whenever she wanted to, after she turns 18?

[ccsmod0]

Hello #265,266,267,
Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline on behalf of your sister. She is lucky to have someone like you that cares for her well-being. And it was resourceful of you to find our website. It sounds like you still have a few question as to what would happen to her if she does not return. As mentioned previously we are not legal experts so we cannot not say for sure what will or will not happen to her. Ever case is different. The best way to figure what her options could be could be to contact someone at your local juvenile justice department.
We are confidential and are available to talk 24/7. If you have a way to contact your sister. Our phone number (1-800-RUNAWAY or 1-800-786-2929). We’d be happy to discuss options and resources with you and/or your sister.

[Guest]

Hey I'm 18 in 7 months and I live in Missouri but I'm in dhs in Arkansas and the laws are different but if i run away till I'm 18 and I go back home will i get in legal trouble or can Arkansas dhs pick me up

[ccsmod7]

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you are concerned about your ability to go home once you turn 18 because you’re worried Arkansas DHS will pick you up if you return. That sounds like a really tough situation to be going through and we are here to help you as best we can.

Here at the National Runaway Safeline we are not legal experts, so do not have an answer to what exactly DHS can do once you’re 18 years old. What we can say is that typically once you are considered an adult, the police do not follow through with reports such as a runaway report. Since we do not know your situation we do not know if that applies to your circumstances though. The best way to find out what would happen if you return when you’re 18 is to give a call to the police station in the town in Arkansas you are hoping to return to. You can find their non-emergency number by searching for it on the internet. If you are worried about them tracking your call, you can block your number when you call or give us a call here at the National Runaway Safeline (1-800-786-2929) and we can help you call them through our number.

Another option is to give us a call toll free, 24/7 at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or utilize our chat services through our website at 1800runaway.org from 4:30-11:30pm CST. By utilizing these services of ours we’ll be able to further discuss your situation and potentially give you more resources.

We wish you the best of luck with your situation!

~NRS

[Guest]

I am 17 and will be 18 in 8 months., but my foster parents took my toothbrush and put bleach in it and my caseworker doesn't believe me ; and my phone is also missing and i've been told they do not need to replace it what should i do ???

[ccsmod1]

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out to us for help. We are here to listen and support you in any way that we can. It sounds like you are having some issues with your foster parents and your caseworker, which sounds very frustrating. Bleach is used to clean and sanitize, so if your toothbrush is dried and then rinsed off it should be safe to use, or you can ask for a new toothbrush. Nobody is legally obligated to give you a new phone to replace the one you lost, which can be frustrating. Perhaps you can find a way to replace it yourself or work towards purchasing your own phone. If you are thinking about running away, one thing to keep in mind is that your legal guardian can call the police, who may search for you and force you to return home until you turn 18. If you need to talk about your situation, please don't hesitate to give us a call or chat with us online! We are here to listen and support you in any way that we can. We are looking forward to hearing from you soon, and wish you the best of luck.

[Guest]

I'm 17 going to be turning 18 in September. I want to move out because its not good where I live. Everyday my brother tells me to go kill myself or to go die. I'm always fighting with my parents. Would I get in trouble if I leave?

[ccsmod0]

Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to write to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It sound like you live in a really hostile and stressful environment. It is understandable that you would want to leave a pace where you are being told you kill yourself or are fighting with the other members. You mentioned almost being 18 and wanting to move out but you had a few questions about that. We need you to know that we are not legal experts but to our knowledge the age of majority in most states is 18. This means that your parents are responsible for you until 18 and you cannot live anywhere without their permission. If you do leave home then they do have the right to file you as a runaway. Running away is not a crime it is a status offence (something that only a minor can get in trouble for: truancy, buying cigarettes, etc.) this means that if you have any interaction with the police they will simply return you home. On the other hand the people that you are found to be staying with could face legal consequences that vary depending on your state. You can find out more about how runaway’s reports are carried out by contacting your local police department. If you would like we could contact your local non-emergency number for you or with you. Just give us a call and one of our trained liners would be happy to assist you.
Again, thank you for reaching out and we hope you found this information helpful. If you need anything else please give us a call anytime. 1-800-786-2929