17 year old runaway turning 18

[ccsmod7]

Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Safeline. We are sorry to hear about what you’re experiencing. You don’t deserve to be hit by your parents.

We want you to know that you have a right to keep yourself safe. If your parents start hitting you again, you do have the right to remove yourself from that situation. You can leave your house or call the police. We’d also like you to know that abuse reporting is an option. It might seem like a scary choice, but it’s another way to possibly keep yourself safe. If you ever want more information on filing an abuse report, please feel free to call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY. We can walk you through the process so you can figure out if it’s the right option for you.

We’re not legal experts here, but we can speak in generalities – running away is a status offense, which means basically means it’s not a crime you’d be charged with but you still aren’t allowed to do it because of your age. If your parents were to file a runaway report and the police were to pick you up, they would most likely just return you home. However, anybody that you stay with if you do runaway could possibly be charge with harboring a runaway and could be prosecuted.

But generally speaking, status offenses are dropped from someone’s record when they turn 18, but again we are not legal experts. And every state has different laws about timelines for removing status offenses. You might want to visit or call your local police department to see what their procedure is.

Again, thank you for reaching out to us. We are so sorry you are going through this and we wish you the best. Don’t hesitate to call us if you need more help or resources.

I turning 17 and my parents take it too far when they are upset at me by hitting me and I want to leave to another city and start my life and when my girlfriend gets emancipated live together, my questions are what’s the risk of running away and after I turn 18 will the runaway file still be on my record , and if my girlfriend can get in trouble for staying with me after she gets emancipated I live in Texas

[ccsmod15]

Hello,

Thanks again for reaching out to us. You’ve asked a great follow-up question regarding whether the circumstances of your leaving would make a difference in classifying you as a runaway when you turn 18. As we discussed in the previous reply, all of these circumstances depend on the laws in your state, and how your specific police department handles runaway reports.

We’re not legal experts, but with your parents kicking you out, one possible recourse you had was to let police know the day that they kicked you out that you were “locked out” of the home; in other words, that your legal guardians were refusing to house you. With that said, it is possible that your legal guardians can file a runaway report right until the day you turn 18 if your state allows this. Your local police department can give you more detailed information on how runaway reports work, whether they take them in these specific circumstances, and when you might be considered a legal adult, therefore making the runaway report a non-issue. The process to call and cancel a runaway report may or may not be automatic depending on your state laws and how your local police chooses to handle these reports.

If you need help finding your local police department’s non-emergency number, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. You can reach out to us 24/7 by phone at 800.RUNAWAY (786.2929). We are also available every day via chat. We’re here to listen, here to help. Stay safe!

-NRS

[ccsmod15]

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out to us. It sounds like you’ve got questions about what will happen to a runaway report if you become a legal adult while outside of the home of your parents or legal guardians. You’re asking a great question, and although we’re not legal experts, from what we understand, cancelling, or “lifting” the runaway report on you depends on the protocol that your local police department follows. There is a possibility that the report might be considered void if you become a legal adult; along the same lines, you may have to call them and let them know so that the local police cancel/void/lift the report. The best way to find out whether you need to do anything or if it would just become nullified due to your age is to reach out to your local police department at their non-emergency number and ask. If you don’t know how to find that number, feel free to give us a call and we can help you find that information, as well as help you make the call if you’d like.

Whatever you decide, know that we are here for you. We won’t tell you what to do, but we will do our best to help you stay safe with whatever you decide to do. You can reach out to us 24/7 by phone at 800.RUNAWAY (786.2929). We are also available every day via chat. We’re here to listen, here to help. Stay safe!

-NRS

If I'm 17 n my parents kick me out and them 3 days later report me as a run away and im turning 18 in a couple of days n I graduated already im I still counted as a runaway when I turn 18

If I'm 17 and reported as a runaway n my birthday is coming up soon when I turn 18 will it be lifted

[ccsmod1]

Hey there,

Thanks so much for reaching out to us and sharing a little bit about what's been going on. We know that it takes a lot of courage. Running away is considered a status offense, which means that it isn't illegal per se, but something that can't be done by minors (like smoking). We aren't legal experts here at NRS, but your son should not be in any legal trouble because he ran away. If he is interested in fully removing himself from the foster care system he can contact his local Department of Human Services office. If he would like to contact us directly to go over what’s going on in depth, or to explore other options that may be available to him, he can call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY. He can also chat us by clicking on the “CHAT” button on top of our homepage. We’re open 24/7 and here to listen and support in any way we can.

All the best,
NRS

Hi my son is 17 he is going to be 18 next week and he ran away from foster care at 16 he just called me and ask me to see if I can find out what will happen when he terns 18 he said he is going to go to the police station on his birth day and tern his self in To get released from the ward of the state because he was in foster care he wants to know if he will go to jail or if thay will just give him paperwork to get released from foster care he just wants to know if he is going to go to jail and how long he will be in jail

[ccsmod9]

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. We want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time. From what we gather about your situation as long as when you left home your boyfriend wasn’t charged with anything it means he cannot be charged with anything now. As far as documentation goes the minute you turn 18 you can request your documents no problem. If you would like to talk more in detail and share more about how we can help specifically, please call or chat soon.
Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).
If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately.
We hope to hear from you soon.
Be safe, NRS

Hey, I'm 17 turning 18 in 4 months. I've been a runaway for a month now, and I need to know a few things about when I turn 18. I live with my boyfriend, who is 21, and feel really bad about him paying for everything. He drove me from Mississippi to Alabama to live with him. When I turn 18, will they still be able to punish me or my boyfriend? When I turn 18, will I be able to acquire legal documentation to be able to apply for a job?

[ccsmod9]

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. We want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time. We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by email or bulletin for assistance. If you would like to talk more in detail and share more about how we can help specifically, please call or chat soon.
Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).
If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately.
We hope to hear from you soon.
Be safe, NRS

Hi i need help on what to do my girlfreind parents are very abusive and treat her like a maid they do anything for there son but not for here and at the moment the parents are suppouse to be in mexico and there here in the us she wants to leave her house now but she turns 18 in September what can i do

[ccsmod10]

Hi there, and thank you so much for reaching out to National Runaway Safeline. You’ve taken a great first step by reaching out to us for help for your situation. It sounds like your home environment has become unmanageable and that you’re experiencing hardship with your dad, sometimes over things that seem small or don’t warrant confrontation. It is not illegal for you to leave home at 17, and you will not get into legal trouble or go to jail if you decide to do this. Running away as a minor is considered a “status offense”, which means that your dad/guardian may or may not decide to file a runaway report. If this happens, it is possible that the police will try to find you and reunite you with your guardian. We encourage you to call our hotline or chat with us online so that we can further discuss your situation and make a plan. Our hotline number is 1-800-RUNAWAY, and our website is www.1800runaway.org.

Hi im 17 and will be 18 in a little less then 5 months im graduating in a month and mentally i cant handle being at hone anymore its just getting ti me to much and its a hostile invironment for me .. Theres always confirtation with me and my dad cause of littke stuff and i was wandering if i would go to jail or get in legal trouble if i left home after i graduate

[ccsmod4]

Reply: Hey im 19 and trying to help someone


Thank you for writing to us here at the National Runaway Safeline.

We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on. 18 years old is generally the age that an individual may leave home without permission from their parent or legal guardian. We are not legal experts here but we can speak in general terms. If you are under 18 and leave home without permission, your parent/guardian may file a runaway report with the police.
Anyone that a reported runaway stays with may run the risk of being charged with harboring a runaway. Anyone found to be assisting or aiding someone to run away may also find themselves at risk legally. For more specifics on the law, you might consider contacting the local non-emergency number for the police. You might also look for a legal aid center in the area. They may be able to answer any legal questions on the subject.

You mentioned that your friend is going through an abusive situation at home by family members. There are laws to protect her from child abuse. She has the option of contacting child protective services if she is at risk physically, verbally or emotionally.
She does not deserve to be abused by anyone. It is not her fault. As a friend you are doing her a great deed by being supportive. Good for you.

If you or she would like to speak more about her situation ,please contact NRS at 1-800-Runaway (786-2929) or www.1800runaway.org

NRS is here to listen and here to help.
If she is at risk or feeling unsafe we encourage her to reach out to 9-1-1
To report child abuse contact Child help USA 1-800-422-4453 www.childhelp.org

Take care,
NRS

We hope this response was helpful! We’d love to hear from you about your experience using our crisis email/forum. Your feedback plays an important role in helping us improve our services to youth and families. Please click the link to fill out our survey: Your Opinion Matters to Us