Arkansas minor runaway laws.

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Reply: Obtaining guardianship of a minor runaway

Hello,
Thanks for contacting the National Runaway Safeline.
We are glad you reached out to NRS tonight.
It is admirable that you want to step in and care for the youth mentioned.

We are not legal experts so one option might be for you to seek legal counsel from an attorney that practices family law.
You can contact your nearest legal aid office for more information.
If you would like more information/referrals please contact NRS at 1-800-Runaway (786-2929) or www.1800Runaway.org

Good luck,
NRS

Obtaining guardianship of a minor runaway

I have a question. I know a teen that’ve really good kid and her grandparents keep lying to her probation officer that's she's been doing bad things and she hasn't. I know for a fact that they are lying. They got her thrown in jail and into a shelter at 16. They went and got her out acted all nice for a while now they are back to their abusive behavior. They recently saw her probation officer and they lied again to her probation officer and will now be enrolling her into a shelter in ark. She doesn't want to go but she doesn't want to stay in an abusive home. It's more mental than physical but they do get physical with her. How can I obtain legal guardianship of her in Arkansas?

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Reply: Minors & runaway laws

Hello,
Thanks for contacting the National Runaway safeline.

While running away is not a crime, a legal adult or anyone who allows a runaway to stay with them or aids them in running away 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 is here to listen and here to help.
Contact NRS at 1-800-Runaway (786-2929) or www.1800Runaway.org

Take care,
NRS

Minors & runaway laws

If someone were to run away with friends would the friends be charged for being with the run away if the parent wanted to arrest them. Can they get arrested for being with the runaway?

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RE:

Thank you for reaching out to us and telling us your story and taking the effort to post about your story. Here at the National Runaway Safeline we are here to listen and answer your questions as best possible. We are not here to tell you what to do, but we are here to support you in what ways we can. It sounds like you are going through a really tough time being a stepdad. If you would like us to look into any further resources for you please reach out.
We are also here to listen to you so that you feel supported in what you are going through. Also feel free to call our hotline at 1800 RUN-AWAY. We are confidential and 24-hours.

My stepson is on fins. My stepsons fins officer said, "a stepfather is not aloud to discipline a stepchild". So only the real parent has authority. My stepson has a ankle location monitor. If he goes anywhere but school and home he goes to jail. He continues to run away. And the fins officer told my wife, "If he leaves the house again, she will also go to jail.". So don't do this to your parents. Yes, they can be punished. He also picks up my small children by the throat and slams them against the wall when he is angry. Nothing I can do though, I'm just the step-dad. Please don't destroy your family. don't be like him.

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Re: Arkansas minor runaway laws

Hi,

Thanks for getting in touch with us. We are happy to support you and answer your questions. There’s no law against running away, and you wouldn’t be charged with anything if the authorities found you. You running away is not considered a crime.

You wouldn’t necessarily undergo any consequences, however some parents will involve the courts with a program called FINS (family in need of service), when, for example, their child is running away repeatedly. This can mean anything from counseling to bootcamp.

If the authorities found you they would certainly bring you home.

I’m not sure what exactly you are asking when you say “If it is just a status offence, what will they do if they don’t find the child?” Are you asking if your parents will get in trouble? As long as they make a runaway report, they won’t be facing legal consequences just for their child running away.

If you still feel you need more clarification, feel free to ask us more questions. We are also here to listen to you so that you feel supported in what you are going through. Also feel free to call our hotline at 1800 RUN-AWAY. We are confidential and 24-hours.

Good luck and thanks for calling.

I live in the state of Arkansas, and I have a few questions that I need to be answered directly. Does Arkansas have a law against minors running away from home? If it is just a status offence, what will they do if they don't find the child? As in, if the child left the state and they failed to be able to identify or find the child, what would the authorities do? Speaking as in I left a note saying that I was running away, so they wouldn't think I was abducted or anything of the sort. If I was captured by authorities in a different state, would they just send me home? or would I be charged with something?
I need specific answers to those questions.
Please & Thank you.