Arkansas minor runaway laws.

I’m 17 and I’m very depressed and suicidal living at home, I just wanna be happy and not be this way anymore. If I runaway to a same house the dad is a cop also will they get in trouble and will I be send home? Im almost finished with school and I have a job. I can provide for myself and I had to grow up way sooner then I wanted. What will happen?

[ccsmod4]

Hello,
Thank you for writing to us here at the National Runaway Safeline.

It sounds like you are unhappy living with your mother and thinking about running away. If you are filed as a runaway with the police, it is possible that if you are found you would be returned home to your guardian. Being 17 you might consider contacting your local police non-emergency number to inquire about the law for leaving home at 17.
Even with the frustrations of living with your mother you have kept up your grades and have helped out financially. That’s really good. It sounds like you have made an effort to do right for yourself and others. Good for you. It also sounds like you might have a good relationship with your grandmother. Maybe you might think about talking with her before making a decision to leave. You are welcome to contact NRS and tell us more about your situation and your plan to run away and survive. Sometimes talking things through may help to come up with options that might help to resolve the issues you are faced with.

If you would like to talk about your situation and explore some options, please contact NRS at: 1-800-Runaway (786-2929) or www.1800runaway.org (Live chat).

We look forward to hearing from you.

Take care,
NRS

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: Your Opinion Matters to Us

Hello I am 17 years old and I’ve worked since I was 15 also I helped my guardian (my mom) to pay the bills and rent , I want to move out without her permission to other state because I don’t feel comfortable living with her , I didn’t grow up with her , my grandma raised me up so I don’t feel comfortable living with her , so if I runaway form home would the police take me back home ? Because I always attend to school and have good grades even that I worked and I support myself.

[ccsmod4]

Reply:Hi...i turn 18 in June

Hello,
Thank you for writing to us here at the National Runaway Safeline.

We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on. It sounds like there are some issues that have you frustrated with your current living arrangement. If you had your way it sounds like you would like to move in with your boyfriend. With the situation of your guardianship being what it is; it might be tough to leave without permission. We understand the sensitivity of the situation. You want to leave but at the same time you don’t want to spoil the relationship you have with your guardian and the friends you are staying with.
We want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time. If you would like to talk more in detail and share more about how we can help specifically, We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by email or bulletin for assistance, please call or chat soon. You are free to talk about your situation and explore some options towards a plan or resolution.

Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).

Take care,
NRS

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: Your Opinion Matters to Us

Hi...I turn 18 in June and want to move out legally I currently live with my best friend and her family. Her mom has guardianship of me and well I just don’t feel like family here and they don’t really let me see my real family and things are tough. I turn 18 in June and I was supposed to graduate this year in may but I failed some classes this semester... I want to go move in with my boyfriend as we have been together for a long time and it would be a safe stable place for me as he makes good money and can help me. I don’t want to hurt my friends family and they also don’t want me to leave till I finish school but I don’t want to stay there after I turn 18. I live in Arkansas and I don’t know the laws or rules on things like this here but I also don’t feel comfortable calling the local police here to ask... what should I do? I don’t want to stay here to finish the classes I didn’t pass this semester next year and I don’t want to stay here after I turn 18... But I don’t want to hurt my friend’s parents or make them mad at me and them be mean or hateful about it...

[ccsmod6]

Hello there,

Thank you for reaching out to NRS. We are sorry to hear about your situation, and it does seem like the law may be constructed so that if a youth were to live alone and be emancipated, it would be a mutual decision. We are not legal experts, and so do not want to mislead you by stating information that may be untrue in your state, but we are able to provide legal resources if you were to call in. If you would like to talk about other resources and support, feel free to call our 24 hour hotline, 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or use our Live Chat.
We hope this information was helpful and take care.
National Runaway Safeline
[email protected] (Crisis Email)
1-800-RUNAWAY (24 Hour Hotline)

In Arkansas can a parent consent to a child living independently at 16? I looked into emancipation and it stated the requirement is for the child to have lived independently for 6 months but I’m not sure how that can happen if the parent does not consent?

[ccsmod7]

Hello there, thanks for reaching out today. Sounds like you are an incredibly independent and hard working person an you are wanting to move out at 17. Here at NRS, we want to help inform you of what that could look like, and we also want to be a support for you.

In Arkansas, the legal age you can move out without your guardian's permission is 18. The easiest way you can leave is with your parent or legal guardian's consent. If you leave at 17 without permission, your parents can attempt to file a runaway report for you with local police. If police accept a runaway report for you and find you, you typically would be returned home. Running away is generally not illegal, rather it is a status offense due to you still being a minor. Since you have finished school and are close to turning 18, it is just up to how your local police would respond to your unique case. They could follow the law to a T and take a report and then return you home, or they could take other actions such as just doing a safety check to make sure you are okay and not return you home. To know how your local police would respond to your situation, you might try to call your non-emergency police number and ask hypothetical questions about how they would handle 17 year old runaway situations.

Please do not hesitate to call or chat us if you ever need. We can talk through your situation, help brainstorm your options, and/or help you call out to your local police.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Best,

NRS

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.

I'm 17 I live in Arkansas I have two jobs I have graduated high school etc. and I've wanted to leave home because I can support myself and I'm wondering what would happen if I did leave. Can I get in trouble? Can the police make me go home?

[ccsmod9]

Hi there,
Thank you so much for contacting the National Runaway Safeline and for sharing your question. It sounds like you and your family are going through some challenging times recently. It’s great that you’re there to support your little brother and try to help.
We should tell you that we are not legal experts. If your brother leaves home for 24-48 hours, it could be considered running away. In that case, his legal guardian would be obligated to file a runaway report. If your stepmother did file a runaway report and the police found him, in all likelihood the police would just return him back home (where he would likely be going anyway). In an arrangement where he comes home to check in every 24 hours (and is at home Monday through Friday), it would be difficult to say that is truly running away.
As I’m sure you recognize, your brother will be 18 in less than a year and after that, will be able to leave home without parental consent. We will be best able to help you and your brother by understanding more details of your situation and talking it through live. You can reach us through our phone hotline or digital chat service. You can call our telephone hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This number is 1-800-RUNAWAY (1-800-786-2929). We also have a chat service that is available through our website daily from 4:30- 11:30pm CST.
Nobody should have to be intimidated or bullied like this. It’s great that you are there to support your brother. Take care of each other and we are looking forward to chatting further.

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My 17yr old little brother is having some difficulties at home. Our father passed away last month. Shortly after he passed my stepmother allowed her 25 year old son to move back into the home. He is the black sheep, has been in trouble with the law, does drugs, is verbally and physically abusive when he does not get his way. However, he works out of town Monday through Friday and us only home Friday night through Sunday night. Since he's been in the home this weekend he has threatened to steal and breal all of my little brother's possesions to prove that "he runs the house now".

My little brother has informed his mother that he would like to stay with friends or family every weekend to avoid the bad home situation. She has told him he is not allowed to leave and must remain in the home.

My question is; how long does he have to be away from the home before his mother can report him as a runaway? For instance, can he spend the night somewhere and come home every 24hrs for "clothes" and check in so he's technically not missing or running away to allow him to be gone over the weekends?

[ccsmod1]

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out. It sounds like you are in a really difficult situation. You don't deserve to be verbally abused or beaten, and it is understandable that you would want to live with your other parent. We are here to listen and support you in any way that we can. If you leave without permission at 17, you could be considered a runaway. Your legal guardian can call the police, who can search for you and may force you to return home. Your other parent could get into legal trouble for harboring a runaway if they take you in without permission. You have a right to make an abuse report if you want to. If you are interested in this option, the Child Help hotline could be a helpful resource. You can call them at 1-800-422-4453 or go to childhelp.org. You can also call us any time, or chat with us online. We are happy to talk you through all your options, look up any resources you might need, and help you develop a plan to deal with your situation and stay safe. We are looking forward to hearing from you soon, and wish you the best of luck.

If my parents living situation was not fit for a child like me and are very verbally abusive and my step mom beats me. I'm 17 and and want to leave and go live with my other parent would that make me a runaway......??????

[ccsmod2]

re: can i leave?

Hi,

18 years old is generally the age that an individual may leave home without permission from their parent or legal guardian. We are not legal experts here but we can speak in general terms. If you are under 18 and leave home without permission, your parent/guardian may file a runaway report with the police. What actions the police take once you are filed as a runaway can vary a lot from state to state and even city to city so we cannot predict exactly what would happen in your case. Generally speaking, if you encounter a police officer while reported as a runaway, you will likely be returned home. However, in that case there may be services (family counseling, etc.) available to you as a youth in crisis/runaway but again, police procedures related to offering those services can be different based on your location or the details of your situation. Another thing to consider is that while running away is not a crime, a legal adult who allows you to stay with them may be putting themselves at risk for being charged with harboring a runaway. One way to find out the laws in your area is to call your local police and ask what their policies are regarding runaway youth.

NRS

Can I leave?

My stepmother invaded my privacy by posting personal things about me on her Fb. Her and my father are not even acknowledging my presence in the house, and they've kicked me out before. If I were to go to a friends house until things calm down would I get in trouble with the police?