if i runaway can my mom call the cops?

[ccsmod1]

Hi there,

Thank you for contacting us at the National Runaway Safeline. We are here 24/7 to listen and to support.

We're sorry to hear about the hard time your girlfriend is going through. We are not legal experts, but generally speaking, at 18 she would be a legal adult and has the right to live wherever she would like. There are a few states where 18 is not the legal age, so you can check here to find out: https://sexetc.org/action-center/sex-in-the-states/. When a person is a legal adult they are not considered a runaway and the police would not return her home.

If you want to make sure, you can also reach out to your local police and confirm with them your and her rights within the situation. If you need help finding your local non-emergency number or want to discuss your situation more, we can help with that. Let us know how we can best help. Our number is 1-800-786-2929.

Best,

NRS

Im not sure if this is considered running away or not, but when its in the perspective of someone going through it, then im sure it is. Im 19 and i have a girlfriend who is 18. We've been talking for a good amount of time, but it's a long distance relationship. we're both in the same state but different cities. We've decided to have her come and stay with me and my family, but her family doesn't support the idea or even think its okay. I understand that because they dont know me, But my girlfriend does. We video chat everyday and call everyday. The only problem is her family, They threaten her with the cops or threaten to break her phone. Which sounds pretty messed up to me. If anything i do believe that it's her choice, but they're the one's making it harder and harder for her. My family tells me they'll talk to hers but they never call me or even look into it. They make her feel bad about it too or just in general. Which is one of the reason's to why we're deciding for her to live with me and my family. I just want to know if its okay for her to leave with me, Soon I'll take a bus to her city to pick her up so we can leave. But they also threaten to call the cops on me. Or that there would be problems. I don't know if this is running away or not as well. I just want to know if its okay

[ccsmod5]

Hi,
Thanks for reaching out. We are not legal experts so we cannot speak to how the police would handle your situation. To our knowledge, if you leave without permission your parents can file a runaway report and if the police are able to locate you they will return you home. Regarding school, youth do have a right to an education. For more information, you can call the National Center for Homeless Educational Helpline: 1-800-308-2145.
Thank you again for reaching out. We hope this was helpful and we encourage you to reach out by phone if you need additional resources or need help figuring out your options. Our number is 1-800-786-2929 and our lines are always open. If you have a moment, we'd appreciate your feedback of our crisis services at the following link:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/we_care_what_you_think

Stay safe!

Hey i just need help really fast before i leave tonight i plan on leaving im 16 im going to be 17 in 6 months if i run away and my mom reports me will they look for me till they find me? Or can they just leav me for a while and can i register at school if i have ranned away?

[ccsmod10]

Hello,

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. From your email to us here, we can see that you have very similar questions to a lot of our callers and you’re looking for some answers. It seems like there must be a lot going on in your life especially at home if you’re thinking about running away from your house. It’s great that you were able to find out some information about our hotline. Hopefully we can help.

Legally you are a minor and under your guardian’s supervision until you are 18 or are emancipated by a court of law. If you decide to leave home before then your guardians could file a runaway report on you. Running away is not a crime, but it is a status offense. This means the police could detain you until they release you to the care of your guardians. Since we’re not legal experts, we’re not sure what would happen if you took your moms car without permission. She would probably be the one to decide if any charges would be pressed on you. We also have legal aid resources in our database. While we’re not law experts, we can try to find one in your area, there may be legal ways for you to be able to move out of your house. We’re here to try to brainstorm options with you.

We want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time. You are always welcome to call into our 24/7 crisis center, or use our chatting services via our website. However, the chatting service is not open 24/7. So the best way to tell us everything would be to just call into our hotline and talk to one of our trained liners.

Be safe, NRS

I'm from Louisiana and I'm planning on running away to my friends house in a different state.I'm 16 I don't have a permit to drive but I'm going to take my mom's car to get there. If my mom calls the cops and they catch me will I get sent to juvie for taking the car AND running away? And what if I get caught driving with a 13 year old. I even looked it up and the state I'm going to it's not illegal for anyone under 18 to runaway. Please help I just want to know if this will send me to jail

[ccsmod10]

Hi there,

We’re so sorry to hear that your family does not support you or take you seriously and that you’re struggling with your mental and physical health. You’re absolutely right that you deserve the chance to enjoy life, be safe, and be well. Thank you for reaching out to us and looking for a solution.

You said that you’re seriously considering running away to your friend’s house. It’s good that you’ve found them and their family as a resource and a place where you can find support and safety, and it makes sense that you would want to stay there. We’re not legal experts here, but we can give general information about running away. Running away is what’s called a status offense: it’s illegal only because of age, and would not go on a criminal record. So that means that while your mom would have the right to file a runaway report with the police and the police could make you return home. It sounds like another option might be filing a child abuse report with Child Protective Services. If you’d like to talk about what that might mean or how to go about filing a report, you can always call us or call Child Help at 1(800)422-2235. Another option might be reaching out to a counselor at school or talking to your friend’s parents about what your options are and how they can support you through this.

It sounds like you’re struggling with a lot right now. You deserve to be listened to and supported through those struggles. You can always call us at 1(800)786-2929 to talk through what’s going on and help figure out how to make your situation better, or chat us at https://1800runaway.org. You mentioned feeling suicidal---if you ever feel in immediate danger of hurting yourself, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1(800)273-8255, or call us, or 9-1-1. We can also do our best to find mental health resources in your area if that is something that you think would help you.

Thanks again for reaching out and prioritizing your own health and safety.

We wish you the best of luck,

NRS

so what if i refuse to get in the cop car? what if i refuse to go in the house? i can't stay in a house where nobody cares i'm failing school and they don't help me all they do is take my phone and they think its going to help me in school and that not the problem at all, my parents never believe in me so why stay with people like that i have 8 siblings and i'm the youngest and they don't help me, they always agree what my parents say, i have a friend and there family treats me like they child help me with work helps me with situations and they listen to me they provide me clothes and food. i'm 16 turning 17 in December, i cant do this its either i runaway or i end my life because i cant stand this anymore. i am messed up mentally messed up physically and i should be enjoying life and they are standing in my way so i am going to do whats best for me

[ccsmod1]

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out to us at the National Runaway Safeline. We're sorry to hear about what you have been facing at home and want you to know that you deserve to feel safe and happy in your home. We are not legal experts, but we can tell you that if you are under 18 and you leave home and your parents file a runaway report, you could be returned home. There could also be legal consequences for whomever you stay with for what is called harboring a run away. If you want a liner to help you walk through other options like us mediating a conference call between you and your parents, thinking through possible adults that you could turn to or could advocate for you, or things like emancipation and legal aid numbers, don't hesitate to give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We are here 24/7 to listen and to support.

You can also reach out for help at al-anon.org/for-alateen. It has information for teens that are affected by someone else's drinking. They could give you tools to cope with the alcohol use in your household and also ideas on how you can help your family heal. Don't hesitate to reach out to them if that is something you think could help.

Stay safe,

NRS

So I’m super emotionally exhausted with this whole situation my dad technically abandoned us because he’d rather be with someone else rather then my mom and he’s never liked me and he’s said it himself. As for my mom she’s an alcoholic,she tries to hide beer at the house and get drunk but whenever I find her stash she yells at me for snooping. Today she left me and my brother homealone at night while she went to go party and stay at a motel with a random guy and when I confronted her about she yelled and me like crazy and made me cry and was getting to a point where I thought she would hurt me. She also threw a hanger and shoes at my sister because my sister was talking about how she has to shape up. I’m tired of her playing the victim and she said she’s never going to let me go out or do anything just because I’m telling her that what she’s doing is wrong. My only option is to runaway at this point my dad doesn’t want me and my mom is horrible as for my grandma she’s on my moms side.

[ccsmod5]

Hey,
Thanks for reaching out. We aren’t legal experts, but generally speaking if someone under the age of 18 runs away, their parents could file a runaway report and if the police are able to find them they will return the youth home. There is a small possibility that your mother could be charged with harboring a runaway (which is not terribly serious—usually considered a misdemeanor), but this is a rare charge and seems unlikely.
Thank you again for reaching out. We hope this was helpful and we encourage you to reach out by phone if you need additional resources or need help figuring out your options. Our number is 1-800-786-2929 and our lines are always open. If you have a moment, we'd appreciate your feedback of our crisis services at the following link:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/we_care_what_you_think

Stay safe!

Hi I have a question my friend runaway and beg me to let her stay here my mom found out but my friend was super scared to go home my question is can my mom get in trouble and how serious Thank you

[ccsmod4]

Reply: I live in owensboro ky

Hi there,
Thank you for writing to us here at National Runaway Safeline (NRS).

While we are not experts on the law, 18 is generally the age that an individual may leave home without parent permission. If you are under 18 and leave home, your parent/guardian may file you as a runaway and you may be returned home. Also, those you stay with may run the risk of being charged with harboring a runaway. For more specifics on the law, the local non-emergency police or legal aid may better answer legal questions.

We are here as support to help through this challenging time. We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by email to assist you. If you would like to talk more in detail 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.

Be safe,
NRS

I live in Owensboro KY. and im 17 yrs old if I run away how long will the cops search for me?

[ccsmod0]

Hello,
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 want you to know that you have the right to report the abuse that you have been experiencing to the police. Child Help USA is an information and referral line that can connect you with your local CPS abuse hotline. That number is 1-800-422-4453. If you ever felt like making a report or needed help, we are here to assist with that. We understand that making an abuse report can be intimidating so if you like we can call together to provide support.
Additionally, if you ever need a safe place to go, we also can provide you with various resources for agencies in whatever area you are in to best help during this difficult time. You can always call us to talk about what you are going through and receive some support. We provide free, confidential, and nonjudgmental services. Everyone deserves to be respected and loved.
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: We care what you think
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