can i be emancipated?

[Guest]

im 16 a month from 17. i am currently filling out applications for a job, i will have my own apartment. and i understand EVERYTHING about emancipation as ive wanted this forever, i have lived with my grandmother since i was a year. she has been wonderful until we moved to indiana. she used to be very abusive and now she isnt she has recently gotten stage 4 colon cancer but is about to be in remission so she is fine. i ran away twice because of her emotional abuse and she is so manipulative. her and her friends & some family create fake profiles to stalk my social media. she is very controlling when i earn/get money she tells me how to spend it and if i dont spend it correctly im in trouble. and i get parents are protective but she over steps her boundaries. i have never been able to stay with friends, she has made me drop friends all because they were lesbian or bi, she forced me to go to church everyday for almost 6 years forced me to wear dresses and also be baptized. she has recently threatned to make me quit school because she dont have the money for gas. she has also told me i cannot get a job, and is closing our complete house off in plastic and making me sleep on an air mattress in the living room and she sleep on the couch. i really need help, do i have a good enough case to be emancipated? what should i do?

[ccsmod10]

Thanks for reaching out to us. We’re so sorry that your grandmother has been so controlling. It sounds like you’re looking to be more independent, but she’s making it really tough on you and you’ve decided to explore emancipation. We’re not legal experts, and because the laws can vary from state to state, you would need to speak with someone familiar with emancipation in the state of Indiana.

This is the information that we have on emancipation for Indiana:
Indiana Code §31-34-20-6:
Sec. 6.
(a) The juvenile court may emancipate a child under section 1(5) of this chapter if the court finds that the child:
(1) wishes to be free from parental control and protection and no longer needs that control and protection;
(2) has sufficient money for the child's own support;
(3) understands the consequences of being free from parental control and protection; and
(4) has an acceptable plan for independent living.

Places like a local Legal Aid agency, as well as possibly your county’s juvenile court services, are better equipped to let you know whether you would be eligible for emancipation in your state. If you’d like help finding specific resources, please don’t hesitate to reach out by phone or via chat. We are available via phone 24/7 at 1.800.RUNAWAY (786.2929), every day from 4:30pm – 11:30pm CST via chat. We won’t tell you what to do, but we will do our best to support you in however you choose to approach your situation. We look forward to hearing from you soon. Stay safe!
-NRS