14, In Florida, Planning to runaway. Is this legal?

[ccsmod8]

RE: being held hostage and thinking of legal actions of ran away

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time out to write to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. We are always here to listen and here to help in any way that we can. From what you have told us about the situation, it sounds like you are going through a very tough time right now living with your father. It must be very hard on you to have to living in that situation. You definitely don’t have to be treated that way. Especially when you’re at home; a place that is supposed to be a safe and loving place for you. You always have the right to report any abuse to your local police department or child protective service in your state. If you don’t feel like they will take you seriously or you might not know of how to do that, you can always call us anytime you want. There is always someone here to help you. You mentioned that you wanted to stay with you mother, does she know about what has been going on between you and your father?

Unfortunately, here at the NRS we cannot tell you in definite terms on what would happen for someone to runaway at the age of 14 years old. Laws on that specific subject vary from state to state, so our advice would be call your local non-emergency police number to get more information on that. A general fact in most states, that because you are a minor your father (assuming he is your legal guardian) can file a runaway report for. If the police do find you and your father has made a runaway report, they only thing that would happen is that they would bring you back home back to your mother since running away if only a status offense.

It sounds like you have given a lot of thought in to what you want to do in your situation. Have you ever talked to your father about moving out to go to live with your mother? Maybe talking about the feelings that you have been having to him might make him see things from your point of view.

Please remember you can reach us directly by calling our 24 hour hotline, 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or through our Live Chat which is open every day from 4:30p to 11:30p CST and can be accessed here: http://www.nrschat.org:88/chat/UserP...&d=&u=&bypass=


National Runaway Safeline
[email protected] (Crisis Email)
1-800-RUNAWAY (24 Hour Hotline)

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[Unregistered]

parent

My son wants to run away and come to my house he live with his dad if he does to I have to take him back

[ccsmod11]

RE: parent

Thank you for reaching out to us. It takes a lot of courage to reach out. It sounds like you are concerned for your son. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) and we are completely confidential and anonymous.
It sounds like your son wants to come live with you and since he currently lives with his dad you are concerned on the legal matters of your situation. Do you share custody or does the father have sole custody? You may want to speak with a lawyer as he/she may have more information on the legal matters of your situation. If you need referrals to legal aid please contact us. You may also try reaching out to family or friends who may be able to provide you support.
Again, we’re happy that you reach out to us. It takes a lot to ask for help and you are trying to figure out your options which is good to see. If you would like to talk further about your situation, please do not hesitate to call or chat with us. We’re here to listen, here to help.

[Unregistered]

15 yr old wanting to runaway maybe at 16

My life is very stressful. There is so much I can't even type it all to u. I was wondering if I wanted to run away at 15 or 16 and stay with my aunt or dad or a friend do I have to come back home if the police comes to get me or can I stay with my legal dad or aunt?

[ccsmod5]

Re: 15 yr old wanting to runaway maybe at 16

Hey there,

Thank you for being able to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline, it seems like you are going through a pretty tough time at this point in your life and we want you to know that we are here to listen and to help in the best way we can.

We want to start off by letting you know that we are not legal experts here, so we would not be able to speak on behalf of every state or county, but we can speak in general terms. In most states, if you were to leave home without your guardian consent, they would be able to file a runaway report, if that is made and you are found, you would typically be forced to go back home. Running away isn’t necessarily illegal, but it is a status offense, which means that you are not allowed to do it because you are not of age. One legal aspect you might want to keep in mind is “harboring a runaway” meaning that the person you are staying with can get into some legal trouble if you they are found letting you stay with them. The charges for that can vary from fines to jail time. The best way you can find out the more accurate answers is by reaching out to your local police department and asking some general questions, if you are interested, this is something that we can do for you if you give us a call.

It sounds like you are going through some hard times in your life and if at any point you would wish to speak further about your situation, please feel free to give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929), we’re here 24/7. We also have a live chat service which is available from 4:30 to 11:30 PM CST, every day. We wish you the best of luck and hope to hear from you soon.

Stay strong,

NRS

[Unregistered]

kagome

I'm a child of the courts I need help to get out of a bad Foster home.

[ccsmod5]

kagome

Hey there,

If you have contacted NRS today through another means (for example, live chat, email or bulletin) for the same issue, it would be helpful to let us know that you have already contacted us. NRS understands it takes courage to reach out for help; therefore, we would like to minimize the need for you to repeat your situation and avoid offering you duplicate services.

Stay strong,

NRS

[Unregistered]

should I runaway

Life for me right now is a struggle. I do not know what to do. If I run away can I go to jail. Is it illegal I was thinking for running away for 4 days. Is that a good amount. I have submitted a lot of thought to it and I think that this is the only choice.


But if I runaway what will happen to me. How will I but food. I only have $5 and I am 12 years old. Can you guys find me a shelter in a state that it is not illegal to runaway in. Can you name some states where it is not illegal to run away. Can you guys also find me some transportation?

My parents never believe me and they hit me ALOT and my father calls me many names like idiot, dummy,stupid, weird... ETC!

So you know what if they don't want m than I'll just go

[ccsmod9]

Re: Should I runaway

Thank you very much for writing us at the National Runaway Safeline. We appreciate your writing us. So sorry to hear that you are going through abuse at home. You deserve to be in a loving home environment where you feel safe. It is very understandable that you would like to run away in order to put an end to your situation. It sounds like you are going through such a rough time.

As a 12 year old, you are still a minor in the eyes of the law. This means that your parents are still responsible for you. They would have the right to file a runaway report if you did run. This would alert police all around that you are a runaway. You would be committing a status offense (something that is illegal because of your age), and those who help you could get charged with harboring a runaway. This is the case in the entire United States. Running away is illegal based on your age, not your state.

Has anyone ever filed an abuse report? You do not deserve to get treated the way that you are currently being treated. If you ever wanted to, feel free to call us and we can stay on the line with you while you report this abuse. The National Child Abuse Hotline is 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453).

You are asking such great questions. You seem very thoughtful. It is awesome that you are thinking about what may happen if you ran away. We would love to talk to you more and provide you with individualized support. Feel free to call or chat with us. We can help you work at your plan and talk more about your options.

We wish you the best and hope to hear from you soon!

Best,

NRS

[Unregistered]

Re: 14, In Florida, Planning to runaway. Is this legal?

I have been wondering for quite a while about the pro's and con's of running away.If a teen runs away, but they don't want thier parents to look for them to not cause problems, is it possible the police don't have to intervene?

[ccsmod0]

Re: 14, In Florida, Planning to runaway. Is this legal?

Thank you for using our bulletin service.
It is great that you are making a list of pros and cons of running away from home. It shows a lot of maturity. Not a lot of youth actually take the time to take a second and think about all of the things that come along with running away.
WE here at NRS are not legal experts and we can only speak generally about how runway cases are handled. For anyone under the age of 18 the parents have the right to make a runaway report. Since it’s only considered a status offense and not a crime to run away, the only thing that would happen is that the police will pick up the youth and bring them back home. This is of course if they had any interaction with the police directly. If the youth is found to be living with anyone else the person that they are staying with could be charged with harboring a runaway, which is a misdemeanor offense. You can find out more about how runaway’s reports are carried out by contacting your local police department. If you would like we could contact your local non-emergency number for you or with you. Just give us a call and one of our trained liners would be happy to assist you.
We hope that you consider giving us a call.
1-800-RUNAWAY

[Unregistered]

I'm scared to leave but scared to stay.

My parents are divorced. I have a step mom and dad,and half siblings I live with my mom and stepdad who hates me I love my dad a lot but he's moved on and started a new family,forgetting about me. I love my mom to but she always agrees with my stepdad.I think she is afraid to be left alone.My stepdad constantly bullies me and I'm tired of being hurt by him I never get to see my dad and I am blamed by all other family for my parents divorce. I know this sight is for teens but I'm 12 I would leave but I'm scared of what my stepdad will do if he finds me. Please help!

[ccsmod15]

Re: I'm scared to leave but scared to stay.

Hi there,

We are glad you reached out, it sounds like you are in a really difficult situation with your stepdad and your family, and we are here to support you. It must be hurtful feeling like your dad has moved on and never being able to see him. You don’t deserve to be bullied by your stepdad, and that can’t be easy to be going through. It takes a lot of strength and courage to reach out for help, and it’s understandable to feel scared when thinking about leaving home. Have you considered reaching out to your mom or dad and telling them how you’ve been feeling lately with how things have been going? It can be a tough decision to leave home, have you thought about where you’d go? Or how you would survive? We are here to support you in whatever decision you make, and to help you in making sure your plan safe. Sometimes it can be helpful to think of who else can support us when things are tough at home, like a teacher, coach, or even the social worker at school. If you would like to talk more in depth about your situation we are available 24/7 at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) where you can remain confidential.

Best,
~NRS

[Guest]

I am a 14 year old kid,in the state of Florida and i ran away twice already once for 1 day an the other time witch was less than 24 hours ago for 3 day. An nothing serious happened with the law. But i run away cause my family has a court order that i see an speak to my dad supervised visitation. An my mom doesn't let me do that. So i have to ran away just to go see him but i barley see him even when i run away cause my mom would catch me there. An cops came to pick me up this morning an could my friend could of just said no he isn't here and shut the door in his face cause they don't have a search warrant? I run away cause ontop of all the court orders my mom verbally abuses me with my dad is a "crackhead" "he is a piece of s****" etc. and that makes me very upset.An she knows that. An we had counselling but the stopped it because the counselor helped me out alot. An i try to talk to her an all she says is "your 14 you don't make your own decisions". So my question to you guys/girls is if i run away so many times eventually could i get like a court hearing of why i run away and an who i want to live with? An if i run away so many times could they put me in any type of juvenile jail or program?

[ccsmod2]

Hi,

At NRS we are non directive so we are unable to provide you with specific advice on what would happen if you ran away. In general, youth who run away may be returned home if their parent files a runaway report. We imagine that is really hurtful for you to hear your mom talk about your dad in that way. Running away multiple times, isn't necessarily going to make it possible for you to choose where you want to live without your guardian's permission. Your mom might seek out a way to get the court involved if you continuously run away, but that is her decision to make. If you have any other questions, please call 1-800-RUNAWAY or chat with us on our website.

Take care,
NRS

[Guest]

12 tear old in Florida contimplating running away
Hello,
I believe you may have answered this but not with too much info. If you were to run away and make it to another state what would happen legally?

[ccsmod6]

Hello,
Thank you for contacting us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you’re thinking about running away. What is it that’s making you feel like you want to run away? Running away is a serious decision, so it’s good that you’re thinking through it and reaching out for more information.
We do want to let you know that we aren’t legal experts here but we will try to assist you with the information we have. To answer your question, your parents/legal guardian does have the right to call the police and file a runaway report if you leave. This means that if you’re found, the police will return you back home. Even if you are in a different state you will still be in a National Database of Missing Children so if you come into contact with a police officer from another state, you will still show up in their database. The police do not always actively search for runaways, but if your parent/guardian had an idea of where you were they could ask them to check it out and bring you home.
You can always contact us directly so that we can discuss what options you have and where you can get more information regarding your situation. Sometimes it helps to just have an unbiased, non-judgmental person to talk to. Here at the National Runaway Safeline, we are always available to talk about your situation, and help you come up with options, and a safe plan of action. We’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The number is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). Best of luck.

Regards,
NRS