17 year old runaway turning 18

[Unregistered]

im 17 and a runaway

I am 17 right now and i ran way when i turned 16 from my parents When i had an outing for A day from juvy but i wasnt in any trouble. I wasnt allowed to live at home anymore so i Was staying at juvy. I ran away because i didnt want To Go back to juvy. And my parents are okay With it. i have 4 more months till i Turn 18 will i be in any trouble When i go back After i turn 18.

[ccsmod4]

RE: im 17 and a runaway

Hello,
Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Safeline.
We are not legal experts at NRS therefore we are not at liberty to tell you what might or could happen with your legal situation once you turn 18 years of age.
Have you or your parents considered speaking with an attorney about your Juvenile court case?
The probation department in your county may also be able to offer information to your parents about the status and or terms of your case.

We hope that you are able to come to a positive resolution to your situation.
Good Luck,
NRS

[Unregistered]

16 , turning 18

Hello . Im 17 now and i will soon be 18 in june and i was wondering once i turn 18 will there be any consequences and do i need to still report back to my parent after i turn 18 even though ill be considered legal i left at an unlegal age ?

[ccsmod2]

RE: 16 , turning 18

Thank you for reaching out to us and telling us about what’s going on. Sometimes, talking to people and asking for help can be incredibly difficult; it was very brave of you to take the first steps. Now, we aren’t legally trained here so we can’t say for sure what would happen if you left home but we can give you some general ideas. You can also call us at anytime if you would like to talk further or if you would like to receive some resources that can continue to help you.

It sounds like you are thinking of leaving home and will turn 18 in June. Again, we aren’t legally trained but it is our general understanding that in most states the age of majority is 18; that means that once you turn 18, your parents are no longer responsible for you and you are considered to be an adult. What that could mean is that once you turn 18, you probably would not have to return home to your parents. But, your parents will probably be considered responsible for you until you turn 18 which may mean they have the right to file a runaway report with the police. Do you think they would do that?

Here at the National Runaway Safeline, we are a confidential and anonymous crisis line so you can call us at anytime if you would like to talk more about what’s going on and to explore options that may be available to you. Our toll free hotline is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); we also have online chat services that are available from 4:30 PM-11:30 PM (CST) if you would rather talk with us that way. Those can be found on our website (www.1800runaway.org).

We look forward to hearing from you and wish you the best of luck!

~NRS

[Unregistered]

Im a 17 year old

I need legal advice. I'm 17 years old turning 18 in December and live in Arizona. Today is November 2nd. Okay so Thursday October 31st my dad whipped me with a belt, leaving a bruise. He yelled at me to get out, so I did. I went down the street cried and went back for shoes. When I went back for shoes my dad threatened to beat me up like he's gonna do to my boyfriend, while he's threatening me he's holding a bat, screaming at me to get off his property. He backed me out of the driveway swinging the bat. I went down the street again after retrieving my shoes from across the street where my dad threw them, and cried. A former teacher from 8th grade stopped and called the cops, while my former school counselor called CPS. The cops showed up and took me back home. The next day Friday November 1st, me and my 19 year old brother got into a physical fist fight. CPS had showed up saying they were gonna investigate him because of what I said, but I told her nothing about my brother, I only told her about what my dad did the day before and what he's done in the past. For a year and a half my dads emotionally and mentally abused me, and sometimes on rare occasion physically. CPS did nothing Friday. So here I am not knowing what to do. My boyfriends mom said I can stay with her, but how do I stay with her if my dad won't let me, and I gave CPS her name to background check her so I could stay with her but CPS never did. How do I stay with my boyfriends mom legally. As of right now I'm considered a runaway. I've emailed Arizona's General Attorney, Tom Horne about my situation, but who knows if he'll get to it in time. Please help me! Please answer as soon as possible.

[ccsmod0]

RE: Im a 17 year old

Hi,

Thanks for contacting us tonight. It sounds like you are going through so much with your dad right now. We’re sorry that he treats you that way. You absolutely, no questions asked, don’t deserve to be hurt by him (or anyone). You seem like you know how to reach out for some help, so we want to make sure we can help you the best we can.

We aren’t legal experts here, but we are able to talk about some potential legal outcomes of this situation. You are right that your dad has the right to decide where you live. However, he is also responsible to care for you. If he isn’t do that (which it doesn’t sound like he is), then CPS should be stepping in to get involved. Is it possible that they haven’t contacted you because it’s the weekend? In Arizona, there is a 24 hour reporting line for abuse. If CPS has already been involved, you could contact them to see where they are with your case. You can call them at 888-767-2445.

Also, unless you are on probation or parole, it is not illegal for you to run away. That means you would not be arrested for running away. If your dad filed you as a runaway, and the police found you, they would force you to return back home. Now, since the police have already been involved and you turn 18 in a month, it is unlikely that they would force you to return.

We hope that this information helps. If you have any questions about what we talked about above or you want to talk through anything else, you can call us 24 hours a day at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We are confidential and anonymous. If you can’t call in, you can chat with us through our website (www.1800runaway.org) from 4.30pm-11.30pm Central Time.

We look forward to your call or chat.

Best of luck to you,

NRS

[Unregistered]

Going to turn 17 in two months

me and my mom don't get along and I really just wanna get out of my house I'm about to turn 17 if I run away til I'm 18 can I come back to my hometown when I'm 18 without a problem? I live in California the way

[ccsmod10]

RE: Going to turn 17 in two months

Hello there,

Thank you for reaching out to us. Although we are not legal experts, we will try to answer your question as best as we can. Technically it is not against the law for you to run away from home. In most places it is considered a status offense. However, anyone you would be caught staying with could possibly be charged with ‘harboring a runaway’ should your mom decide to press charges. Do you have a safe place to go for a year if you did run away? You also mentioned that you are thinking about returning after you turn 18. Typically once you are legally considered an adult any runaway charges are dropped. You may want to check with your local law enforcement that this is the case.

If you are looking to leave legally, emancipation is also an option. If you are in California, you typically must petition the courts to be separated from your legal guardian. If you felt comfortable calling us, we would be more than happy to provide you with legal aid referral and help you explore other options.

We can be reached at any time at 1-800-RUNAWAY(786-2929) or by live chat at www.1800runaway.org from 4:30pm- 11:30pm Central Standard Time. We look forward to hearing from you and wish you the best of luck.

- NRS

[Unregistered]

Turning 17

Can I get in trouble if I run away with my gf..she is currently 16 and turning 17 in January and I am also 16 turning 17 in December..what type of crime will that cause if I were to run away with her..I live in Utica and I am going to take her to New York where my brother live and stay there until we turn 18 an the parent can't do anything about it but I am worry about what the parent will do at the time we are in New York and staying at my brother house...can the parent sue my parent or is the crime only will affect me(if there is crime in this)....she really loves me and want to be with me,her mom is trying to engage her with someone she don't love, but she can not refuse her mother request she is under her mother control...please tell me what to do and how will all this come out if I run away with her...

[ccsmod1]

RE: Turning 17

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out for help. It sounds like you are currently running away with your girlfriend to stay with your brother. It is really smart of you to contact us before you leave. We are not able to tell you what to do or how things will turn out if you run away, but we can give you an idea of how the law works. Running away is not a criminal offence, but if your parent or legal guardian files a runaway report then the police might look for you and make you go home. You asked if you would get in trouble if you ran away. You might consider that there are different kinds of trouble. While you might not be charged with a crime, running away can be very risky. How will you survive, stay safe while you travel, and what will you do until you turn 18? You should know that harboring a runaway is a crime, and your brother could be charged with a crime if he hides you or obstructs any police investigation into your whereabouts. It sounds like you really care about your girlfriend, and like she is going through a really hard time right now with her mother. This must be a really stressful time for you. If you would like to talk to someone about your options and to talk about your plans, please give us a call at our 24 hour crisis line, 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or contact us through our website by clicking on the live chat button between 4:30pm and 11:30pm Central Standard Time. We are here to listen and support you in any way that we can. We are looking forward to your call!

Best of luck,

NRS

[Unregistered]

Help!

Im 17 turning 18 in september I want to leave I have everything ready and a place to stay,work and i can go to school. is it illegal to do it? what are the consequences? im not leaving to go be bad but i dont belong here... and i have the chance..

[ccsmod0]

RE: Help!

Hi there,

Thanks for posting here tonight and asking your question. It sounds like you’ve put together a detailed plan on how to survive if you decide to leave. It was smart of you to reach out for some guidance in terms of the law. It can be a bit tricky, so let’s see how we can help you out tonight.

We’re not legal experts here, but we are able to talk about some potential legal consequences if you decide to leave. If you are under 18 and leave home without your guardian’s permission, your guardians have the right to file a runaway report with the police. If they make a report and the police take the report, the police may search for you. If the police find you, they may force you back home. Now, if you are not currently on probation or parole, it is not illegal to runaway. You would not be arrested, you would just be returned home.

Here’s where it gets a little tricky. The closer you get to 18, the less likely the police are to accept a runaway report from your guardians and even less likely to actively go out and search for you. To sum up, if you decide to leave without permission, and the police find you, you would be returned home.

We know that you’re not running to be bad. We hope that this information helps you with your decision. If you want to talk more about anything or need to be provided with some resources, you can call us 24 hours a day at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). If calling isn’t your thing, you can chat with us through our website (www.1800runaway.org) from 4.30pm-11.30pm Central Time.

We look forward to your call or chat.

We wish you the best of luck,

NRS

[Unregistered]

My Mother Hit Me

Im 17 years of age, 18 in july, and i have a job and attend high school. ive never been in trouble with the law. My mother gets ideas in her head that arent true, and yesterday so got so mad she closed fist punched me in the jaw twice. She told me to leave and i packed my things. half way out the door, she said i cant leave and she would call the police. should i report her? can i leave if i have somewhere to go? a girl i work with has her own place and offered to let me stay? what should i do? my dad is a sheriff and was at work when this all happened. im scared to tell him or anyone else because i love my parents and my siblings but i just cant live there anymore. please help me.

[ccsmod8]

re: My Mother Hit Me

Hi and thanks for contacting us. You are so brave to reach out in such a difficult time. We are so sorry to hear that you are in such an unsafe situation. Nothing you do or say will ever make it ok for your mom to hit you like that. Are you in a safe place right now? You can always call 911 in the moment or seek out a safer place if you feel at imminent risk of harm. Calling the police or filing a child abuse report are absolutely both rights that you have. You have the right to have your body respected and to be safe within your own home. You can file an abuse report with any trusted teacher or counselor, on your own, or even with us at NRS. We are here at 1-800-RUNAWAY 24 hours a day and would be glad to give you reporting information as well as walk you through what to expect.

It’s great that you have been offered a safe place to stay and have some support. We are not legal experts, but just so you know, if you do decide to stay with your friend and your mom is not ok with it, you may be putting your friend at legal risk for harboring a runaway. That can definitely change though in instances of abuse if home is not safe. Another option if you need to get out right away, is to contact a shelter for a safe place to stay. A resource that you might find helpful is www.nationalsafeplace.org where you can locate shelters in your area. In addition to confidentially and anonymously calling us, you can also chat with us from 4:30-11:30pm CST for more help.

Take care and stay safe,
-NRS

[guest]

running away until your 18...

my friend ran away with her fiance a few months ago and is turning 18 in about 20 days. her fiance is quite a bit older than her and has been keeping her at his house. if she doesnt return until she is 18 what are the consequences for her and her fiance?