17 california run away rights

[Unregistered]

i am seventeen years old and i live in california. my mother is emotionally and mentally abusive and i want to run away. i have a safe place i can stay. i have already told my parents that im thinking about running away and they have told me that if i do they will immediately call the police. i've read in a lot of places that at the age of seventeen a police officer will usually not make you go home due to age. is this true? if not, what will they do if the police find me? will i be put on probation?

[ccsmod6]

17 california run away rights

Thanks for contacting the National Runaway Switchboard. We are sorry to hear about the way your mother has been treating you; nobody deserves to be abused. It sounds like you have done some thinking about your options and have been able to locate a safe place. Generally speaking, running away is not illegal and is often considered a status offense (i.e. truancy, breaking curfew). However, parents are allowed to file runaway reports which are entered into a national law enforcement database. In most instances, the police will not actively search for runaway youth but will detain youth if contact is made and later contact a parent or legal guardian to make arrangements for youth to return home. In general, youth who runs away are not arrested or put on probation although the law may vary from state. For the most accurate information, you may contact your local nonemergency police hotline and ask about the consequences of running away and what age a minor can leave home legally.

We hope the information provided helps out. We’re glad that you contacted and we wish you the best of luck with everything. If you need to contact us in the future, remember that we are available 24 hours 7 days. We can also be reached on our hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) and it’s toll-free, anonymous, and confidential.

Best Wishes
~NRS

[Unregistered]

I'm 17 years old and i want to run away from California

hello, i need some help concerning my rights and the consequences of running away from California to Quebec, Canada. I'm failing school but i plan to start fresh on home school on a computer. I need to know if I have rights due to my age and can i do anything to leave A.S.A.P. with NO problems. My family is very strict, but they are strict in the wrong ways, they never listen to what I have to say and they can't help me even if they try. Please help me with as much information as possible. Thank you.

[ccsmod0]

Re: 17 California run away rights

Hi,
Thanks for contacting the National Runaway Switchboard and sharing some of your story with us. It sounds like you have put a lot of thought into what you want to do to move forward in your life and we will try to help as best we can. Unfortunately we are not legal experts so we would not be able to tell you the exact consequences of running away from California. What we can say is that running away is only considered a status offense. Meaning that it is not technically considered illegal but because you are a minor (we assuming you are, though we don't know your age to be sure) it is not in your hands to decide to leave without your guardians permission.
What you do have the option of doing is calling your local police to anonymously ask them what would happen if someone your age left from your location. If they would look, bring you home if you're found, etc... You can ask someone else to call on your behalf if that makes it more comfortable, you can also call us to make that call for you. We can help you come up with a list of questions before we make a call where you can be on the line if you would like, to try and get the answers that you are looking for. We could also possibly give you legal resources to speak with someone about your concerns if you would like.
We are sorry that you feel like your parents are not able to listen or help you in the ways that you need. It must be very stressful for you. We hope that you have some ways to cope with the feelings that are coming from your situation. We definitely want to help you as best as we can if you can reach out to us at 1-800-RUNAWAY 24/7, or you can chat with us everyday from 4:30-11:30pm CST. We are here to help you come up with possible options, resources, and try to help you come up with a plan that you are comfortable with whenever you are ready.
We look forward to hearing from you and wish you the best of luck,
NRS

[Unregistered]

Help me

Hello Im a 17 year old girl living in california.My parents(father mostly)abuse
me.If I say one thing to them that they dont like he hits me kicks me and punches me.
This has been going on for about 3-4 years now and I cant deal with it anymore.I want
to know if thats legal age to move out and live with my friend whos 19 and lives in
another state,he says he'll take care of me until I can do everything by myself.
Can I run away and not be forced to come back home at this age?I need your help.
Please give me some options,because I can't do this anymore.The other day I tried
taking pills but I stopped because I realized I'm hurting myself for them.My parents
are very very stric in many ways.I cant get a job.I hv to be home schooled.And they
never let me hang out with anyone,nor am I allowed to talk with anyone except family
on the phone.My father says if he hits me I dont complain if he yells at me I dont
complain because hes the father and he has the right to do that.Thank you for your help.

[ccsmod11]

Help Me

Hi and thank you for contacting the National Runaway Switchboard. We are glad to hear you decided to not harm yourself and realized you wanted to continue to fight and save yourself. It sounds as though you are going through a lot at home and no one should have to be hurt in that way. Each state has different laws regarding the legal age of adulthood, which you can research online. You may not be forced to return home, running away is not illegal, your parents or guardians may decide to file a runaway or missing persons report on you. All that does is identify you as missing or a runaway, it does not stay on your record. Have you thought about reaching out to friends, family or other adults you trust for support or assistance? It sounds as if you have figured out the best option for you and finding a way to stay safe and away from people who are hurting you. Hopefully this helps answer your questions and provides you with some guidance into deciding if you want to runaway. You can also contact our 24 hour hotline should you need further assistance, 1-800-RUNAWAY or 1-800-786-2929 or use our chat services online. Thank you again for contacting the National Runaway Switchboard and good luck.

[Unregistered]

Help

I'm an undocumented 17 and 7 months girl..what are my rights here in California to leave my home...what are the legal consequences if they catch me ...and for those who let me stay..my parents are extremely mentally abusive and physically sometimes to I have tried to take my own life before...I need OUT...my mom threatens she can make me stay past 18 is this true ? Help please..

[ccsmod10]

RE: Help

Hello,

Thank you for contacting us during the difficult time. It sounds like you are worried about your immigration status as well as being forced to stay with your parents for another three months. Everyone has the right to feel safe in their own home. You also have the right to go to school as well regardless of your living situation according to the McKinny-Vento Act. You can read more about there here at http://center.serve.org/nche/m-v.php.

You also mentioned that you have tried to take your own life before. Are you feeling like hurting yourself now? If you are ever feeling suicidal again you can always call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK. There are other resources available for you to get help regarding your immigration status. The Family Support Network at 1-855-435-7693 has bi-lingual advocates who can help refer to the proper channels for your legal status. The legal group Justice for Children at www.justiceforchildren.org also works pro-bono for abused children.

Here at the National Runaway Switchboard we are not lawyers and therefore cannot give legal advice. However, we can help explain how most runaway laws work. Technically, it is not illegal for you to run away. In most states it is considered a status offence. However, if your legal guardians call the police and report your missing, your information would be entered into a national database. Anyone that you would be caught staying with could possibly be charged with ‘harboring a runaway’. Does that make sense?

We are available 24/7, and are confidential and anonymous. We are also mandated reporters in cases of child abuse. We can help you make a police report in regards to your parent’s physical and mental abuse. We are always here for you at 1-800-RUNAWAY( 786-2929) or by live chat at www.1800runaway.org from 4:30pm-11:30pm Central Standard Time. We look forward to hearing from you and wish you the best of luck!

-NRS

[Unregistered]

please help

Hello , i'm a 16 year old girl in California, going to be 17 soon, I am having bad problems here at home with my mom , I've been making my own money since I was 14 years old, i'm getting sick of being here and dealing with problems, I would like to be emancipated , I would want to move out with my boyfriend, but I don't want him to get in trouble, that's why I wish to leave home in a legal way, how would I go about this? Please answer as soon as possible, thank you so much.

[ccsmod5]

Re: please help

Hi,

Thanks for contacting us, it seems like you are going through a tough time right now. You sound really responsible and like you are trying to figure out how to take care of yourself legally. The fact that you have been able to make your own money and are looking into your options now shows that you are very mature.

You mentioned that you want to be emancipated, that is a really big step, but it sounds like you have thought about it quite a bit. Emancipation is a legal process and can take quite a bit of time, so that is something to keep in mind with how close to 18 you are. Emancipation is also not your only option. Some other things to consider are family counseling, or getting your parents’ permission to live with someone else. It really all depends on your situation.

We are not legal experts here, but a good resource that should be able to answer more of your questions and talk you through the emancipation process is Legal Services for Children, they have two phone numbers: 415-863-3762 and 1-888-292-4252. The California Courts Judicial Branch website also has a lot of good information about emancipation, as well as other options for people considering emancipation; here is a link to their website, http://www.courts.ca.gov/selfhelp-emancipation.htm.

You can also call us anytime at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); we are 24/7 confidential and anonymous and can talk to you about what is going on at home and what other options you have, you can also live chat with us everyday 4:30pm-11:30pm Central Standard Time.

Good luck with everything,
NRS

[Unregistered]

What are the consequences for running away from home at age 17. I have a safe place to go. What are the consequences for this action in California. I have no cell phone, so I cannot call the hotline.

[ccsmod2]

Thank you for reaching out to us and looking for assistance. It sounds like you are in a tricky situation right now and we hope to be able to provide you with resources to help you out further. Unfortunately, we are not legally trained here though so we wouldn’t be able to tell you for certain what would happen if you left home.

It sounds like you are thinking about running away from home and have a safe place to stay but you are concerned about the laws regarding running away. Would you be able to tell us a little more about why you are thinking about leaving? It’s great that you are trying to plan ahead and make sure that you are safe if you do leave home.

Again, we aren’t legally trained here but we can give you a general idea of the laws regarding running away. We can also try to help locate resources that may be able to give you specific answers. Generally speaking, if you are under the age of 18 and leave home without parental permission or consent, you may be considered a runaway so your parents or legal guardians may have the option to file a runaway report with the local police. Running away is usually considered a status offense, which is something that you can’t do when you are under 18; other status offenses may include truancy (skipping school) or breaking curfew. So, if you leave home and your parents do file a report, the police may or may not search for you but if they do locate you, they may either take you to the police department or return you home. Also, runaway reports are usually put into a national database as well so if you were to cross state lines, police in other states would also be able to look it up.

This may seem like a lot of information and it may seem discouraging; we do apologize for that but we want you to be as informed as possible if you were to leave home. One place you can try to call is the local police and you can ask them (hypothetically) what they would do if a youth at 17 ran away from home. We’ve also included the number for an agency that provides legal aid in CA but it is located in Oakland. Their name is the National Center for Youth Law and their phone number is 510-835-8098. They also have a website which is www.youthlaw.org.

If you would like more resources or if you would like for us to help you make calls to different agencies or resources, please give us a call at anytime; our number is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). You said that you didn’t have a way to call us but since we are a 1-800 number, you can call us for free from any payphone. We also have online chat services that are available from 4:30 PM-11:30 PM (CST), which is 2:30 PM-9:30 PM in CA.

We look forward to hearing from you and wish you the best of luck.
~NRS

[Unregistered]

RunAway

hello im 16 and 6 months. i live in ontario california and i wont to runaway. my mom mentally abuses me and sometime physically. ive been wanting to leave for awhile now but i dont kno what to do. i would like to kno what would happen to me if i got caught and what would happen to the people im staying with.

[ccsmod2]

Thank you for reaching out to us and telling us about what is going on. It sounds like you are trying to leave home as a result of your mom being mentally and physically abusive towards you. We are sorry to hear that you are going through this; nobody deserves to feel scared or unsafe. It was very brave of you to reach out to us and hopefully we can provide you with some resources that can help you stay safe.

Here at the National Runaway Safeline, we are not legally trained here so we can’t say for sure what would happen if you were to leave home but we can give you some general ideas. We are also non directive so we won’t tell you what to do but we can definitely help you explore your options and resources.

Now, it is our general understanding that if a youth leaves home without parental consent or permission, their parents or legal guardians may have the option to file a runaway report with the local police. Generally, it is a status offense for a youth to run away; a status offense is something you can’t do when under 18 years old (others include curfew and truancy). It is also our general understanding that a person who allows for a runaway to stay with them could possibly be charged with harboring a runaway or contributing to the delinquency of a minor; the consequences of that vary by state so we wouldn’t be able to tell you exactly what would happen.

Since you are under 18, you may have the option of filing a report with Child Protective Services and they may do an investigation. If you were to do that, they might be able to help you find a safe place to stay instead of being at home. If you would like to explore this further, you can call us here; we are mandated reporters so if you would like to file a report, we can help you with that also. We can also help you locate a shelter or other safe place to go. You can reach us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or through our online chat services that are available from 4:30 PM-11:30 PM (CST), 7 days a week. We are completely confidential and anonymous as well.

We look forward to hearing from you and wish you the best of luck!

~NRS

[unknown user]

Hi im 14 years going on 15 and im having very serios problems my mom is always threatening me telling me that if I will be kicked out and live on the street she is very wrong the way she raises me she makes me do standard chores im fine with but she always says im lazy I dont know why she treats me like this she doesnt even appreciate that I am her son im basicly a maid and ever since my grandmother moved to mexico im forced to do every thing once again im fine with that but she is always finding something bad to say about me I have already made arangements to were im going to live and I already have a career plan I need some advice please and thank you