Im 16 and hate living at home if i run away can the police force me to go back?

[ccsmod10]

Re: Im 15 and hate living at home if i run away will I get charged when im 18?

Hello,
Thanks for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway. It sounds like you are in a difficult situation. We are here to provide you support during this time. We are not legal experts here though we can help you as best as best as possible. Generally speaking, warrants for arrests are very serious. It could bring up problems for you in the future if you run away and you are found. If you have specific questions possibly talking to your caseworker for clarification could help. Also, you can call us at 1800-RUNAWAY and we possibly call your local police department hypothetically what would happen in this situation.
You mentioned that you are contemplating running away. There are many things to consider, such as coming up with a plan. Where will you stay? What will your parents/family say? How will you provide for yourself? How will you travel? How long will you be gone? How will you continue school?
We would love to talk with you further. We are here 24/7 and confidential. Again, we can be reached at 1-800-RUNAWAY.
Best of Luck,
NRS

[Unregistered]

I Want To Runaway From Home.

I Just Barely Turned 16 In January. I'm Really Thinking Bout Running Away Because My Mother Is No Good For Me. All She's Ever Done Is Find Ways To Bring Me Down && Ruin My Plans For My Life. I Was Wondering If I Were To Runaway Some Time Soon, && My Mother Were To Call Me In As A Runaway, Can I Still Get Arrested If I Were To Return Back To My Home Town After I Turn 17? I Know In The State Of Texas You Can Legally Leave Your Parents House At The Age 17 && Not Get In Trouble With The Law.
I've Ran Away A Few Times Before. I Live In Texas. I Also Have A Place I Can Stay && It's Safe && I'd Be Well Taken Care Off.

[ccsmod6]

Re: I Want To Runaway From Home.

Hi there,

Thank you for posting to the National Runaway Safeline (NRS) online forum. It sounds like there has been a history of problems at home with your mom as you stated she tends to put you down which is unfair. We are sorry you have been treated that way by your mom. You don't deserve to be treated like that. You mentioned wanting to leave because of the issues going on but wonder about consequences. We can only offer general information because we are not legal experts. Generally, if you are under the age of majority in your state your mom could file you as a runaway and alert police to search for you. The police in every city and even county abide by different protocol as far as taking a 17 year old into custody. Often times, the best way to obtain a legal-specific answer as to how police in Texas handle cases of a 17 year old is to reach out to a legal aid office or your local non-emergency police/sheriff's department. If you needed help locating resources or reaching out to agencies or simply just wanted to talk more about what you have been going through, we are here to listen and to help we can help. We're just a call or phone chat away.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Take care,

NRS

[The lost girl]

16 and abused

Hey. Ok well my birthday is this coming Friday and I'll be 16. I'm trying to get emancipated, I live with my grandmother who is abusive. I have a place to stay, can I just leave and go there, because she is getting worse and worse and i can't take it anymore. DSS has been involved and has done nothing for me. What should I do?

[Unregistered]

I can't deal with my parents trying to change my life

My parents are rude to me and they are trying to change my life cause of my boyfriend I just want to live with my boyfriend and I have rights to go and stay with him I love him he loves me but my parents won't give him another chance I just need to get out of here away from my parent... They do drugs also that's why I want to get away from them thanks

[ccsmod9]

RE: I can't deal with my parents trying to change my life

Hello,

Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Safeline.

We’re really sorry to hear about how you’re having problems with your parents. It sounds like a lot to deal with. It’s understandable how you’d want to stay with your boyfriend since you’ve mentioned your parent’s are doing drug. It’s really great that you have a supportive partner that can help you through this difficult time.

We are not legal experts here at NRS, but we can speak generally on this topic. If you’d like to move in with your boyfriend before you’re an adult, that can be a little tricky. Often times you must be 18 to legally move out of your parent’s house. If you left without their permission they could file a runaway report with the local police and have you returned home. Also, sometimes the person letting you stay with them could be charged with harboring a runaway. This isn’t always the case and the laws can vary, but if you want to know for sure you could ask your local police department.

If you want to discuss this issue further and talk about how it is affecting your life, we encourage you to call us here at 1-800-Runaway. We can help you come up with a plan for dealing with these problems you’re having with your parents and see what you’d feel comfortable doing.

Best of luck,
NRS

[Unregistered]

Need to go, don't want to harm my friend tho.

I was forced to move into an apartment with my mom and her new boyfriend. (He's 60). I'm a 16 year old boy with a plan on how to get ahead in my future instead of being restricted by my mother who is ignorant and must be right in order to feel good about herself and her boyfriend who's extensive life has brought him much experience that has done nothing but led him to say to me that I am a disappointment. My mother and the boyfriend say I am ungrateful and selfish as well as blind to the blessings I have. I can't talk to them about these problems and the many counselors I've had over the years haven't worked. But my best friends family who offered to take me in for a while I can be myself with and focus on my future with instead of how I want to plan my suicide while contained in this hell hole. How can I get out of here and go live with my friend? Will his parents be charged with harboring a stowaway?

[ccsmod6]

Re: Need to go, don't want to harm my friend tho.

Hello there,

Thank you for writing to us through the online forum here at the National Runaway Safeline (NRS). It sounds like a lot of changes have been happening at home especially with the move and your mom's new boyfriend. From what you shared, it seems you are feeling that your mom and her boyfriend are not understanding what you are going through and what you need as far as moving your life forward and working toward your personal goals. We're sorry to hear that your mom's boyfriend has said some unfair and hurtful things to you.
It's great that you reached out for help, and we want to help as best as we can. We unfortunately are not legal experts but if you left home without permission and stayed with your friend's family your mom may file you as a runaway and your friend's family could possibly get in trouble especially if they withhold information about your whereabouts. It seems you feel living with your friend's family would be better for you. Perhaps you can try talking with your mom about letting you stay over by a friend for a little while.
We can help brainstorm helpful ways to introduce this idea to your mom. It seems you may benefit from just talking things out especially since you mentioned staying home may lead to you ending your life. Your safety and well-being is important. Suicide does not have to be the answer, and we are sorry to hear that you're having those types of thoughts and feelings. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org has helpful resources and staff to help you cope with the thoughts of suicide and maybe get some different help. Sometimes it takes a bit of time to find the best treatment as everyone is different.

We hope that you reach out soon so that we can provide you the support. We look forward to hearing from you.

Whatever you choose to do, please be safe and take good tare.

Best,

NRS

[Unregistered]

16 and want to leave.

Im 16 i lived with my nana for 14 years of and on sometimes staying with an aunt or cousin my dad is handicap so when i am there i can take care of him i lived with my mom while i was 15 and it was a battle with my nana cause she HATES my mother now im staying with my other grandparents but i dont think the situation is any better i went from one bad place to another and someone told me if you run away at 16 the cops wont really look for you. If a ran away i have a job a vehicle and a place to stay. But you also cant drop out of school until you're 17 and id really like to graduate but i dont want to live here anymore and i dont want legal trouble i just want my family to leave me alone how could i enroll in school if i leave home? Could there be an agreement i make on paper and convince my nana to sign it just an agreement between us that allows me to live on my own and support myself without her filing a run away report so ill be able to continue in school

[ccsmod10]

RE: 16 and want to leave

Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Safeline. We are sorry to hear that things have been so hard for you. It takes great courage to reach out for help and we are glad that you decided to reach out to us.
Running away can be hard in many cases. You might want to think about how you might pay for rent, food, and other living expenses. It can be helpful to calculate how much you earn and how much your living expenses would be. Also in many cases it can be hard to get a place of your own without a credit history. Also, your access to your parents’ health insurance and access to any medical care could get effected.
Many schools may need a parent or guardian’s signature before enrolling a youth under the age of 18. We are not legal experts here but running away from home under the age of 18 is considered a status offense and the police can bring you back home if a police report is filed. Also, whoever you are staying with could be charged with harboring a runaway and could get in trouble with the law.
It sounds like emancipation could be another option for you. Emancipation is a process for which you have to qualify for and the laws vary from state to state. In most cases if you can prove that you can support yourself you can be considered emancipated and could live independently.
All of this can be overwhelming. You can always reach us at our 24 hour confidential hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or live chat with us and we would be happy to listen to you, explore your options and provide any resources.
We wish you luck and hope to hear from you soon.

Best,
NRS

[Unregistered]

Re: Im 16 and hate living at home if i run away can the police force me to go back?

I am 15 and hate my house, I want to go live with my grandmother but my parents wont let me and say they will call the cops that I ran away if I go. If I tell them that I am leaving and that I am going to run away then is it still considered running away? Can the police force me to go back home? Or can I just stay with my grandmother? I live in NYC and im not sure what the laws are on that.

[ccsmod8]

RE:Re:Im 16 and hate living at home if i run away can the police force me to go back?

Thanks for writing to us here at the National Runaway Safeline with your concerns. From your post to our public forum, we can see that you have very similar questions to a lot of our callers and you’re looking for some answers. We are always here to listen and here to help in any way that we can. It can be very frustrating not knowing what to do or what your next step might be from this point on and thinking about what would happen if you did leave your house.

Like we tell a lot of our callers and/or people that email us, the laws on that specific subject of running away vary from state to state. Generally what typically happens in each state is if you are below the legal age of majority (18 in most states except Alabama and Nebraska [19 or upon marriage], and Mississippi [21]), your parents would be able to make a runaway report in the event that you do run away. Since it’s only considered a statues offense and not a crime to run away, the only thing that would happen is that the police will pick you up and bring you back home. This is of course if you had any interaction with the police directly or if they stopped you to ask you a few questions.

Since you’re only 15 years old, your parents can even send to police over to where you have been planning on staying to come and get you to bring you back home. If you didn’t have anywhere to stay, staying at a youth shelter might be difficult as well because most shelters are required to call a child’s parents if they are under the age of 18. That is to let them know where they are and even then most aren’t going to be a lot term living situation for youth. We don't want you to be on the streets were it can get to be a little dangerous so a resource that you might be able to look into if you’re looking for a safe place to go, would be to visit The National Safeplace website (www.nationalsafeplace.org). This organization provides access to immediate help and supportive resources for youth in need. You can look up your city and state to see if there is any safe places near you listed. They are usually places like designated school, fire stations, libraries, etc. So that is always an option if you feel like go to talk to someone in person and what has been going on.

If you give us a call on our 24/7 fully confidential hotline, at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) we could help answer some of those questions you have and could potentially help you brainstorm a solution to the issues you are having. We also have an online chat service available every night from 4:30-11:30PM CST that is available through our website (www.1800runaway.org) if you don’t feel like calling in to talk on the phone.

[Unregistered]

Re: Im 16 and hate living at home if i run away can the police force me to go back?

ive ran away a couple time because of the neglect and abuse going on in my house. Me, my friends and my other family members have called the police and the cps but they always say the same thing that its not abuse that its either self defense or that its a discipline issue but i never do anything to deserve being knocked out by my stepdad or mom my stepbrother told me that i should just fight them back but i dont wanna go to juvi so im stuck between a rock and a hard place. i heard that i can get emancipated from my mother but im living with her and it said that i had to be living else where... i left saturday and came back sunday but now the police are involed im thinking about leaving again this coming up weekend but i dont want this situation to get worse nor do i want the people i stay with when i leave to get involved?? can you help

[ccsmod10]

Re: Im 16 and hate living at home if i run away can the police force me to go back?

Hi There,

Thank you so much for reaching out. It takes a lot of courage to reach out and we are glad that you have done so. We are very sorry to hear about the way you have been treated. No one deserves to be treated that way. It must be so frustrating to be in your situation and no to be getting the help that you were hoping for from cpd and the authorities. Please do not let this discourage you from notifying these authoriteis in the future should you find yourself in any danger.

Some things to think about for the future are deciding where you will continue your education. You mentioned running away before. We hope that you have a safe place to stay. Should you need one, we could possibly find some shelters in your city/state utilizing our database. How long do you anticipate on being going or being able to stay at someone's place? How will you support yourself or whom you will be staying with be willing to support you financially with food, clothing, other personal expenses/ allow you to stay rent free? What if things do not work out here in the future, what will be your back up plan?

We are not legal experts here, but typically being under the age of what your state considers to an adult (usually 18 ), you would need permission from your parents to leave. It is not illegal to runaway or leave home without permission, but it would mean that your parents could file a runaway report. The police would then be required to return you home.

It sounds like you are interested in learning more about being emancipation. Again, we are not legal experts here, but typically this process is rather lengthy. It would generally involve some time spent finding legal aid/lawyer to take on the case and additional time to follow through with court dates. Emancipation can sometimes be rather difficult to grant as well because it would require you to show that you could support yourself independently and would require your parents to sign off their rights as well. If this is an option that you would like to pursue, we can refer you to legal aids that could possibly go into more detail of this process and help you further if you let us know the city and state that you are currently in.

We hope that this information that was helpful.

Best Wishes,
NRS

[Unregistered]

I Want To Run Away

I'm 14, and will be 15 in exactly one month. I've never met my dad but I live in a 2 bedroom house with my sister, mom, grandmother, grandfather, cousin, and 18 year old boyfriend. My mom doesn't feed me and I have medical issues that she won't take me to the doctor for. She doesn't let me do anything.. If I ran away she would call the cops. Would they make me come back? And can I get in legal trouble?