if i runaway can my mom call the cops?

[ccsmod1]

Hi there,

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

It sounds like a lot has been going on at home and we want you to know that you deserve to feel safe and loved in your home. It sounds like there are some questions about custody and who you could stay with. One thing you can do is reach out to Child Help at 1-800-422-4453 to speak more specifically to your situation and because we are not legal experts. They can help talk to you about your rights as a minor, child abuse reporting and transferring custody.

Generally speaking, once you are 18 you would be a legal adult and would be able to live with your dad without legal action. If you can't wait that long then another thing you could do would be to reach out to your local police department and inquire abou how they handle runaway reports for 17 year olds because some departments don't. You could also talk to them about how it could also be different in a situation where there is abuse in the home. It can be difficult to think about reporting, and especially if there isn't concrete evidence, but Child Help may be able to walk you through the different options you may have. We can also be reached at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) if you want someone to walk through all of these things with.

Don't hesitate to give us a call,

NRS

[Guest]

I m 20 n having a srs problem at home I wanted to know if I run away will the cops come to look for mi and take mi bk to home because I m under lock down n can't go out with friends can't do anything at home so I m asking what's best idea

[ccsmod10]

Hi there,

It sounds like you are finding the rules at your home to be pretty frustrating and limiting, and you are looking to find more independence. As a 20 year old, you are a legal adult. From what you have told us, we can see no reason that the police force you back home. Since you are considered an adult in the eyes of the law, leaving home would not be considered running away. Your parents are not able to force you back home

That said, even as a legal adult, leaving home can take some thought and planning. Do you know where you will go if you leave? How you will support yourself?

Please feel free to give us a call as we would be happy to discuss these and other questions for you. We can help you explore your options in terms of whether you want to leave, finding a safe place to stay, how you might support yourself, and anything else that is on your mind.

We wish you the best of luck.

[Guest]

I am 16 I need to runaway i don’t feel loved here this house isn’t for any teen to live in, Ive been thinking anout running away I’ll be 17 next month will i get in trouble by the cops if i do runaway?

[ccsmod7]

Hi,

Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you’ve been going through a tough time at home, so we’re glad you’ve reached out to us. Depending on what state you live in determines what age you’re considered a legal adult (for most states it’s 18, but you should double check), and that can have an impact on parents and calling the police. Parents can call the police and report their children as runaways if they are still legally minors, and the police will bring runaway children back to their parents. As legal guardians, by law parents are responsible for their kids until they reach the legal age of adulthood. Because of this the police must bring runaway persons back to their parent’s home.

You deserve to be loved and appreciated, and it sounds like your home life might be really hard right now. Is there someone else in your family that you can talk to about how you’re feeling? Or maybe someone at school? If you want to call us and talk with someone over the phone we’re here 24 hours and we’re confidential. We can talk more about how you’re feeling and offer resources.

We’re here to listen and here to help anyway we can.

Best,

NRS

[Guest]

Hey will you friends parents get in trouble if u come to there house and they don't know you ran away?

[ccsmod10]

Hey there,

Thanks for reaching out to us for help.

We are not legal experts, and laws are different in every state. In general, running away is not something that minors can be arrested for, but there is a harboring a runaway charge (misdemeanor offense). It’s not a common charge that we hear about, because it’s hard to prove. Police usually just return runaways home if they’re found, but if your parent pressed charges against your friends for harboring a runaway, they risk getting into trouble. However, your parents would also have to pay court fees and legal fees to take those friends to court, which is a big reason why we rarely hear about people getting charged with harboring a runaway.

We are here to listen and support you however we can, so please don’t hesitate to give us a call if you want to talk about your next steps. We are looking forward to hearing from you soon, and wish you the best of luck.

[Guest]

i was wondering if int the state on ohio there could be jail time for me running away shes told me befor to get out an leave an this time im really thinking about it im 16 years old i have left the house 2 other times an moved in with family but she always takes me back b4 one year so that they cant clme me on there taxes an she can an i would like to know if im still going to school everyday if im really a runaway an if whoever im staying will will get in any trouble as well

[ccsmod1]

Hi there,

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

We are sorry to hear about what you have been facing with your mom and want you to know that you deserve to feel safe and happy in your home. We are not legal experts but if you are a minor and your parent kicks you out that could be considered neglect. It is not illegal to run away but there could be legal consequences for whomever you stay with for what is called harboring a runaway. You can reach out to Child Help at 1-800-422-4453 to talk to a legal expert about your situation and ask about neglect reporting. It is a status offense to run away and that mostly just means that you would be returned home if found by the police. But if you wanted to report neglect or other abuse in the home then they may treat the situation differently. If you have any questions about any of this or want help calling out to Child Help, don't hesitate to give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929).

NRS

[Guest]

Hi im 16 and will be 17 on march 1 . I am tired of my mom being abusive to me . I have looked into emancipation and I have filed the papers once i do that can she still call the cops and report me missing ? I have a safe place to go and this is the place i will live when i get emancipated . i just want her to leave me alone what should i do ?

[ccsmod5]

Hey,
Thanks for reaching out to us. We're glad you did, since we're here to help, and if you want to call us, keep in mind we're here 24/7 at 1-800-786-2929. If you're looking at emancipation, things have to be really bad at home, so we're very sorry to hear you're in that place.
You mentioned abuse, and that's just never ok to be hit by your mom, no matter what you've done. You don't deserve that. If you want our help reporting that, please do call us, otherwise there is also your local police as well as Child Help at 1-800-422-4453.
In terms of running away, while it's not illegal, it is considered a status offense, and your mom could call the police to have you returned. Keep in mind we are not legal experts though, and don't know exactly where you're located, so can't really advise on whether or not the police would return you given your application for emancipation is in progress. One option you may want to thing about, if you do go to where you're going to stay when you're emancipated, is to call the local police when you are there and that may prevent you being returned. Sometimes too, police are less likely to return someone home given your age.
If you have other people, friends, family, or other adults, that could provide you some support too. Please do call us if you want to talk more. Best of luck!
We hope this response was helpful! We’d love to hear from you about your experience using our crisis 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: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/we_care_what_you_think

[Guest]

My son will be 13 in April . His grandma has had temporary custody for almost 3 yrs. He wants to run away home to me, but I won't go get him because I can be charged for kidnapping. If he ends up at my home as a run away and I call the police will they make him go home if he tries to resist and not go?

[ccsmod5]

Thanks for sharing your story with us. This sounds like a tricky situation. It is difficult for us to answer your questions because it depends on your personal custody arrangement with your son. We can provide you with a general understanding of how your case may be handled.
If you have shared custody with the grandmother, you are equally responsible for your son’s well-being. If you share custody, it would not be considered kidnapping if your son lived with you. You would be responsible for his food, shelter, clothing and health. However, if you have had your parental rights relinquished and/or if the grandmother has sole custody of your son, you may report your son as a runaway and the police would return him to his legal guardian.
That being said, we are not legal experts, so we encourage you to reach out to legal resources in your area who would be able to speak to the specifics of your situation.

We wish you the best of luck and we hope this response was helpful! We’d love to hear from you about your experience using our crisis email/forum. Please click the link to fill out our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/we_care_what_you_think .

[Guest]

Hi my son is almost 17 in the statevof ny, i have called the cops several times on him and he still does thesame thing now ACs came to visit me .What are his options

[ccsmod7]

Hello there, thanks for reaching out. Sounds like you are having trouble with your son and police and ACS have been involved. That seems like a really tricky situation.

Unfortunately, we do not know the situation he is in other than ACS and police involvement so we are not sure what options he has with the information you have provided. If he has runaway, you have the right to report him as a runaway with local police. Reporting him as a runaway generally takes the liability of being his guardian off of you while he is a runaway in cases of truancy or if he gets into trouble. In New York, there is a law called Person in Need of Supervision (PINS); which is a law for youth who are out of their parents control. To learn more about the PINS program you can look at this link: http://www.nycourts.gov/courts/nyc/f...pins.shtml#pi9.

We hope this helps. Please do not hesitate to call or chat us. We can talk over the situation and try to brainstorm his options after getting a better idea of the situation.

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

Best,

NRS

[Guest]

okay i have a question.. if i ran away for one night and my mom called the cops, can i get in any trouble? or my parents? i will be staying w someone for the night so ill be taken care of but i need a break from everything at home.. i just need to know the possible consequences

[ccsmod11]

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out to us in order to plan for your safety. We’re glad you want to know the consequences of running away before you actually do it. We aren’t legal experts, but in most of the United States, if you leave home without parental permission, your parents can file a runaway report with the police, which authorizes them to search for you, locate you, and bring you home. It is usually not illegal to run away; being arrested for running away is uncommon. You are likely to just be brought home. If you are staying with an adult, then they may be liable for harboring a runaway, which may or not be punishable with jail time in your community. You can call your non-emergency police department to anonymously ask them these questions, or we can help you do that if you call in at 1-800-786-2929.

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

[Guest]

so i have 4 MIP in oregon and im forced to go to residential treatment by the court and ive been there once and im not going back! and my only choice now is to run away i done with being under someone elses roof so im planning on leaving the state with a friend that has a summer house in a different state that we will stay in but if i leave im scared what will happen

[ccsmod5]

Hi,
Thanks so much for reaching out. It sounds like you’re in a very challenging position right now. Unfortunately, we are not legal experts so we cannot speak to what might happen if you leave. However, we can generally say that violating a court order may result in serious consequences if you are to be found. Before leaving, you might consider speaking with a case manager or potentially a lawyer. That being said, we understand that these options may not work for you. If you want to talk about your situation more specifically, please give us a call at 1-800-786-2929. We wish you the best of luck and we hope this was helpful. If you have a minute, we would appreciate your feedback of our crisis forum services at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/we_care_what_you_think
Thank you! Stay safe!

[Guest]

I am 16 years old and I have no freedom what so ever in my house this summer I am going to get a job and a car so I can support myself my dad won't let me move and he gets mad just because I say anything I have been told it is okay as long as I am safe and can support myself when my parents and I fight I tend to want to leave the house and go to a friends house so I can calm down I home home but it is normally late if my parents call the cops o me bc I left I told them where I was going but they don't know where my friend lives will the cops still do something about a runaway even if I come home a little later than I normally do

[ccsmod7]

Hello there, thanks for reaching out today. You seem really independent, and it sounds pretty frustrating that you and your parents fight a lot and will not let you go to your friends to cool off.

If you leave home without permission before you turn 18, your parents can file a runaway with your local police and if you are found you typically would be returned home.So if you come home before cops find you, your parents would just call them back and let them know that you are no longer a runaway. Running away is usually a status offense rather than being illegal, so you would not be arrested and it would not affect your permanent record.

You mentioned that you were told that as long as you are safe and support yourself it is okay to leave home at 16 and not be reported as a runaway. Unfortunately, that is not our understanding of leaving home at 16. However, sometimes local police have different protocol for runaway youth, so you might reach out to your local non-emergency police number to see how they would handle 16 year old runaway situations.

Please do not hesitate to call or chat us. We can talk through your situation, help brainstorm your options, and look for local resources for you.

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 support youth and families. Please click the link below to fill out our survey.

Tell us what you think about your experience!

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

NRS

[Guest]

Hey I live in nc and wanted to know if I ran away at 17 what would happen ik they can call the cops and all but like what could the cops do if I did at 17 years old I have two jobs can they force me to come home

[ccsmod5]

Hi, Thanks so much for reaching out. We are not legal experts, but generally speaking you need to be 18 to leave without permission. If you do leave without permission, your family would have the right to file a runaway report and the police may return you home regardless of your job situation, unfortunately. Thank you again for reaching out. Please also feel free to reach out to us any time if you ever need someone to listen, provide resources, or facilitate a call with your parents to talk about leaving home earlier.
We wish you the best of luck and 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: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/we_care_what_you_think..

[Guest]

I am 20 year old if I walk out can they call the police on me. In can they move me somewhere I don’t want to go at the age of 20

[ccsmod1]

Hi there,

We are not legal experts but generally speaking as a 20 year old you are a legal adult and are not considered a runaway. You would be able to choose where to live and the police could not be called on you for that reason. If you want to know for sure the laws in your state, you can look into them at sexetc.org/action-center/sex-in-the-states/. You could also call into your local non-emergency police number to ask questions about leaving as well.

We are also 24/7 so don't hesitate to give us a call if you need help finding shelters or other resources in your area.

Stay safe,

NRS

We hope this response was helpful! We’d love to hear from you about your experience using our crisis 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