Harboring a runaway...

[Unregistered]

I know you guys don't like to give legal advice because you aren't always knowledgeable in that area but any info you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

I want to know what the absolute worse thing is that I could be facing if I choose to allow a runaway live with me without notifying anyone. As in could there be jail time involved? Also what are the chances of them finding the person? How hard to they look? Is there a point where they give up? Would they be able to get a search warrant if my house is considered a high profile place she might be?

A girl I know is being abused at home. If reported she will be taken away and placed with her Aunt. That situation is not much better. She's been in foster care already and that has never been good. If she lives with me she will have a great home life, the proper care she needs, and a loving family. She is 16, almost 17.

Thanks.

[ccsmod5]

Reply Harboring a runaway

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out to our bulletin board and sharing your story. Sounds like the youth you're calling about is in a tough situation right now but it's good to hear that you're there for her when she needs it the most. It's also hard to hear that she'll just be placed with someone who will also be a bad placement. Do you think that there's any chance that Social Services would be willing to place her with you? Does the child have a case worker? If so, can she request to be placed with you?

To answer your more specific questions about rights and legal consequences: if she's a minor and listed as a runaway, there is a chance that you can get into some legal trouble if she's found in your home. We don't know what the consequences would be but if she's listed as a runaway with the police department, she's considered a 'runaway' and in most states it's illegal to harbor a runaway. To find out if she's listed as one, anyone can call the local police department (non emergency number) or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children 1-800-843-5678 to see if that person has been listed as a runaway. If she hasn't been listed then that means no one is looking for her.

As for the kinds of consequences you would face-it's all case by case. We're not sure what would happen if she's found in your home. No one knows. There is an organization that you can call to get some more details about how the youth can be heard when her needs aren't being met. That agency is Justice for Children (1800-733-0059). They are a group of legal advisor that help youth with getting spilid options from social services.

If there are any more questions or concerns, we're available to explore any of these if you'd be willing to call our 24hr hotline at 1800-RUNAWAY (786.2929).


Best of luck,

[Unregistered]

Thank you for the information.

Unfortunately there is no chance of her legally living with me because they see her aunt as a perfect fit and there is no convincing them differently. Her aunt currently has power of attorney over her granted by her mother. She is technically supposed to still be with her aunt. Her mother and stepfather have just recently moved and are refusing to register her for school or allow her to get her GED. I am concerned about her education but we feel the GED route is the best way to go. If she was able to hide out for a year she would be fine once she turns 18 because she can do all of this herself at that point.

My concern is how much the police will push. From what I've been reading and researching, they typically search for a day and then give up unless the child is thought to be in danger or the parents really push it. I just don't know how true that is and have failed to get a straight answer from anyone...including a police officer. If they really don't look that hard I don't think it would be difficult to keep her hidden for a year.

The state in question is Alabama if that helps.

[ccsmod3]

Re: Harboring a runaway...

Hello again,

We’re glad the information we provided could be of help. It sounds like you are genuinely concerned and it is great that your friend has that type of support. You raise a lot of valid questions; however, sometimes there isn’t an easy way to get a definite answer in regards to how hard police will look for a runaway youth. Even if police aren’t actively searching, if they do come across a runaway for any other minor crime or status offense (such as a traffic violation, breaking curfew etc.), that youth would show up in their National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database.

It sounds like education is also pretty important to your friend. If you all decide that she would like to go back to school, rather than get a GED, she may be able to get enrollment help through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Here is a link to the Alabama state contact: http://nchespp.serve.org/profile/AL. If there is anything else we can do for you or your friend, feel free to reach out to us by phone: 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or our newest way of contact: Live Chat. To chat with us, simply visit our main page, www.1800runaway, and click on the red “Live Chat” button.

We wish you and your friend the best of luck!

-NRS

[Unregistered]

Thanks once again. Your information is extremely helpful and valuable to me.

If a runaway is in the National Crime Information Center database but has no ID...how does the officer know?
Let's say she was in the car with me and I got pulled over for speeding. The officer would only ask me for my ID. Without knowing her, how would the officer know to even check to see if she was a runaway?

[ccsmod4]

Harboring a runaway

Hi,
Thanks for posting. We are unable to give you a concrete answer on an officer's ability to know someone is a runaway without having their I.D. That would be something solely left up to the officer's discretion to investigate.
We can only give what is general knowledge and information we receive from our experience with law enforcement.
Thanks again for your question to our NRS bulletin board.

Take Care,
NRS

[star]

...

Do you have to have a warrant to come in someones house to look for a runaway?

[ccsmod9]

Re: ...

Hello,
Thank you for reaching out to us. We aren’t legal experts here but we can speak generally. Typically protocol for matters like this vary from state to state and county to county. You can contact your local non-emergency line for the police department and ask if they would need a warrant. We would assume that if they were denied entry they may speculate that you are there. There are also penalties for harboring a runaway, which also vary. You can also contact them and ask what that protocol is. Feel free to contact us directly anytime at 1-800-RUNAWAY.
NRS

[A child's cry]

Government Conspiracy

Listen. If your genuine interest is the childs at best... Your gonna have to play the same dirty game the system plays. If she ends up in foster care she's worse off then at home. Only the foster parents and system get paid to do it and they won't protect the child. You put her in school dummy up a letter saying your the parent and putting her in your temporary guardianship due to financial hardship as a provided care plan so that she is not deprived of her education.. Or home school her.. The system will just mess her up more.. And as far as you getting in trouble.. The CPS will only make 1 or 2:attempts to locate the child before they fall off and stop looking. They've already received their bonus check for her from the Government incentives they receive.. So they really don't care too much after that unless a family member is looking for her and someone gives them a tip of where she's at.. So keep her presence with other people who can relate to her family who abuse her at home on the down low. Someone saving a child there are risks involved. I did it with my grandson for 2 1/2 years.. My 8 children were wrongfully taken from me and 4 older ones a way at different times from advise in the system and were never looked for after the first attempt. My youngest run away just turned 18 on Friday and he was 14 when he ran away?. Unless someone gives a to of your situation they won't bother. They have to many kids their trying to take and each worker has to many case loads. Besides she is almost an adult.. Just last low and keep her from harm is what rally matters.. Home school her if you feel it's worth it to keep her safe.. Weigh out the pros a cons. My 4 rummage are now adults and agreed out and I see them every day as I have had to struggle they life teaching them.. But my 4 little girls that weren't so lucky.. Are still to young to leave and they have been advised and molested and CPS only his the abuse.. Allowing the abusers to adopt them out . I haven't eh in 8 years but now I am my civil case to sure these b******* now that my son has turned 18. Thank you

[ccsmod13]

RE: Government Conspiracy

Hello,

Thank you for your input. We are glad that there are those out there that care and want to help. Unfortunately we are not experts and cannot say what will happen to children once they go into foster care. We are sorry to hear about your situation and it sounds like you are doing what you can. Thank you again for your input and if you would like to talk to us about your situation you can always contact us on our hotline or chat through our website.

NRS

[Unregistered]

Running away on probation

I'm trying to run away from my emotionally/mentally abusive and neglectful parents. My girls friend moved to Texas with her mom and they've been trying to get my parents to sign guardianship papers but they won't. I'm currently in Florida on probation for breaking into a car. My parents lock me out of the house for trying to call my girlfriend or when i dont do the jehova wittness meetings or bible reading when im just a christian and disagree with them, andth they make me sleep outside.they also say horrible horrible things to me and I'm depressed and it was diagnosed by several therapists and they all believe I should leave my parents, but my parents make me switch every time they say something that's against jehova witness beliefs my probation officer doesn't feel I should be here, and dcf is involved. If I run away will I go to juvie?

[ccsmod14]

Re: Running away on probation

Hi there,

Thank you so much for reaching out to us. It sounds like a really tough situation that you are in and we are sorry to hear about all of this. We’re glad that you found us, we are here to assist you in any way that we can.

It sounds like you have experienced a lot of abuse at home from your parents because of differences in beliefs. This has got to be very difficult for you, living together and being emotionally abused because of a difference in what you believe. We are not religiously affiliated here at NRS, but we still recognize the circumstance you are in. Being locked out of the house could likely be considered neglect, so this would be a helpful thing to share with Child Protective Services if you have not already.

You shared that you have been diagnosed with depression and you have seen several therapists. It sounds like this is helpful to you and we are glad that you have been able to see a therapist. If this were to change, you can always call us here at 1800runaway and we can get you connected to local counseling resources in your area. As an alternative, we’d like to pass along the National Suicide Hotline at (800) 273 TALK, as a line that you can call at any time that you are feeling down, in addition to ours here at 1800runaway.

We’re not legal experts unfortunately. Generally speaking, if someone leaves without consent from legal guardians before the age of 18, legal guardians have the right to make a runaway report. If a report is made, and the police find you they just bring you back home. However, anyone that you stay with could potentially be charged for harboring. Because you are on probation, things may be different. If you would like to contact legal resources in your area, you can call us any time and we can try to find some that are local to you.

We encourage you to call or chat to talk further about your situation. We are here to support you.

Best,
NRS

[Unregistered]

Running away on probation

Okay so now this minor is in juvie with a court hearing tomorrow. Dcf was already made aware of the situation and there is an open case. The minor was told by the cpi to just deal with it, and because of this lack of regard for the minors emotional state and we'll being. Said minor ran away to my house. (Me being the girl friend) my mother really wants him to live with us, as do i, because we understand how horrible it was with his parents. I was there and I've witnessed how his parents act toward him and I've gone to pick him up after he'd been locked out at night several times when I lived in Miami which is where he was as well. Now I'm in Texas and he is too. But he is in juvie right now and he has a court hearing tomorrow and I'm freaking out about what will happen. Child protective services is heavily involved right now and we really just want him to be safe, and the safest place for him is with us and this is where he wants to be. What happens now?

[ccsmod14]

Re: Running away on probation

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out again. It sounds like you have this person’s best interest at heart which is good to hear, because it sounds like he does not have much support elsewhere. It sounds like he is in juvie currently, and CPS has been involved but it is a waiting game at this point to see what happens.

We’re not legal experts, so we really cannot say what happens at this point. We have many different legal resources that we can provide if you call or chat with us. We’re here to support you and work through possible options. Please give us a call or chat with us to talk more, we’re here 24/7.

Best,
NRS

[jackser cane]

my gf is sad with her family

she says that she dosent like where she lives and she said if i run away can i live with u and i said sure but my parents idk how they will react but i lov her and i dont want to get introble so idk what to do