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

[Unregistered]

I'm running away

I live in Columbus GA and I don't feel safe at school, or at home. I feel threatened and unhappy. I mostly feel stress. I have money, and the supplies to do it. The problem is, I am 13 and I wanted to know if it is Legally possible for me to be a runaway. I have heard that some parents will have the police and the kitchen and the kids will say they can't handle this anymore and leave. Then the police will say "We cannot do anything until they commit a crime." Is this true? Can I actually do it? Reply back when you can please.

[ccsmod8]

RE: I'm running away

Hello there –

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. Just know that we are always here to listen to you and help you in any way that we possibly can. From what you have stated in your post on our public bulletin board it sounds like you have been going through a very difficult time right now living at home and going to school. You are certainly very brave to reach out to us during your time of need, especially if you’re feeling unsafe. If you feel that you are in danger, please feel free to reach out to someone like the police or teacher to help you through that situation. Sounds like a lot of going on in your life and there isn’t too much stress relief happening. Hopefully we can start helping with answering those questions you have.

Here at the NRS aren’t legal experts so we can’t tell you exactly what will happen if they police were to find out and/or come get you. We can only tell you of general runaway laws that we have hear or asked police officers in the past. 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]), what generally happens; your parents like your mother and/or father would be able to make a runaway report in the event that you do leave your house. 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. So you don’t need to commit a crime to be taken back home, the police can go and pick you up whenever you runaway under the age of 18.

If you give us a call on our 24/7 hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) we would love to talk to you about your situation and potentially help you brainstorm a possible solution to the issues you are having at home. 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).

[Greg Clarke]

15 wanting to live with my dad

Hi I'm 15 and wanting to leave my grandmas house who is my legal guardian. I want to live with my dad cuz he knows how to take care of me and understands me.. My grandma just keeps on bugging me and won't let me say something without her saying I'm lying .. She thinks that punishing me and not doing anything at all except let me suffer the "consequences" and I just want to have a good life and live with my dad.. Does anyone know what I can do to do that? Thanks for everything

[ccsmod11]

RE: 15 wanting to live with my dad

Hi,

Thank you for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. We’re sorry to hear that you’re having a difficult time living with your grandma. Sometimes it’s difficult to communicate with the adults in our lives. It sounds like you and dad get along and you’re comfortable being with him, which is great.

We are not legal experts here, but are able to provide some support for youth who are in challenging situations. We can tell you that, due to your age, it is considered running away if you were to leave your guardians home and live with someone else without permission from them, which is a status offense. Additionally, anyone that you stay with could potentially be charged for harboring. If you would like to speak with us to see how we can better assist you, please feel free to call us at any time.

Best,
NRS

[Unregistered]

I am 16 and living at home is just not nice, my parents are horrible to me. I want a couple of nights away, and i would stay at my boyfriends house, my parents have threatened his mum with legal action, and said that I can be brought home by the police until i am 17. Can anybody tell me if this is true, or is this an attempt to scare me from going to his house to stay? I have heard the police will ask me if I would like to return now I am 16, but I would like to know what to believe. please help asap.

No you wont get in trouble . Just the police would look for you and ask you why did you runaway?

[ccsmod3]

Re:

Hello new poster,

Thanks for taking the time to check out our forum. While we at the National Runaway Safeline are not in a position to say exactly what will happen when a 16 year-old runs away, we do recognize that most often the police will just take the run away back home. As you mentioned they may ask the reason the young person ran away, but generally runaways do not get in legal trouble unless they commit another crime. If you have any other questions or need help yourself, please feel free to reach out.

[Unregistered]

Leaving home

Hello I'm on 15 and I wanna leave home. Go to another state where they won't find me till I turn 18. If the police finds me do I have to go back home or will I have a choice. Also if I run away will it stay on my personal record. Will I be able yo join the military once I become of age? Thanks

[ccsmod14]

Leaving home

Hi there,

Thank you so much for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you are really trying to figure out your options and we’re glad to hear it. We’re here to help you as much as we can.

So we’re not legal experts, but generally speaking if a minor leaves without permission from legal guardians, they would have the right to make a runaway report. If a report is made, and the police find you they typically would just bring you back home. However, anyone that you stay with could potentially be charged for harboring. You asked about if it would go on your personal record- usually this type of thing would be gone from your record once you turn 18, unless you are chronically (repeatedly) running away. This is likely to be the same case regarding joining the military once you become of age.

We’re here to support you with whatever you decide is best for yourself. Our priority is always your safety. We’re not here to tell you what you should or should not do, because you know your situation better than we do. There are a few things that can be helpful to think through in making your decision:

Do I have a place to stay?
What about school? Would I continue to get an education?
Am I going to be gone awhile or coming back in a few days?
What would I do for money? Shelter? Food? Transportation?
Who can I depend on if I leave home?
Do I have a safe, solid plan?
What is my plan b in case my first plan doesn’t work?
What have I done to make things better at home?
What can I do to make things better at home?
Who have I reached out to make things better at home?
Please do call or chat us to talk more if you would like. We’re here to support you.

Best,
NRS

[Unregistered]

Leaving home when I turn 16

I'm 15 and I have 4 months until I'm 16 and I'm adopted and I'm planing to live with my older brother if I run away and live with him and the police find out that I live with him what would happen to him and to me?

[ccsmod6]

RE: Leaving home when I turn 16

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline (NRS). You ask a really good question about what would happen if you left home and went to live with your brother. Since we are not legal experts, we are only able to provide a very general answer because laws vary in every state. From our experience, if a minor at age 16 were to leave home without permission, the legal guardian can choose to file a runaway/missing minor report. When a report is made, police are notified and a search for the missing minor may be conducted. If you are found living with your brother without permission, police may try to bring you back home and your parents may also choose to file charges against your brother for "harboring a runaway." If something scary is going on at home or you feel unsafe, the police can help you stay safe. If you want to live with your brother, it may help to talk to your adoptive parents and explore having full or partial rights transferred over to him so that you may stay with him. If you want to talk more about your situation and explore some ways that may benefit your situation, please call or chat with us. We want to help as best as be are able to. We can also help reach out to local authorities to learn about the laws in your state.

We hope to hear from you soon and wish you well.

Stay safe and take care,

NRS

[Unregistered]

Im 15 living with my dad but my mom has ful

Im currently 15 years old living with my dad, i dont want to live with him any more and my mom has full custody of me so can i legally runaway to her

[ccsmod6]

RE: Im 15 living with my dad but my mom has ful

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline (NRS). It's great that you are reaching out for information before making a decision to leave. We are not legal experts here, but if your mom has full custody of you, you are legally allowed to live with her. As far as running away, it may be helpful to talk with your mom so that you and her can agree on you going back to live her. It seems you may have been living with your dad for some time and he may have partial custody. Custody issues can be confusing, so it may be best to also consult with legal aid office regarding family law for more specifics. If you needed any further support or resources, we are here 24/7 by phone at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or chat through our website www.1800runaway.org.

We wish you well and look forward to chatting soon.

Best,

NRS

[lilly]

I am 16 and living at home is just not nice, my parents are horrible to me. I want a couple of nights away, and i would stay at my boyfriends house, my parents have threatened his mum with legal action, and said that I can be brought home by the police until i am 17. Can anybody tell me if this is true, or is this an attempt to scare me from going to his house to stay? I have heard the police will ask me if I would like to return now I am 16, but I would like to know what to believe. please help asap.

well yeah you technically cant leave until you are 17 by law and legally and me im going threw some ******** too and i want to leave and go with my girlfriend or just go somewhere and im in colorado and im surrounded by drugs and im turning to them and im only 16 and i have 5 months til im 17 and i honestly cant wait, im being verbally abused and i have insomnia and dression from the last place i used to live at and since i moved with my mom and shes unhappy where shes at cause she cant be with who she wants to be with and neither can i or else i will get judged and i dont know where to go maybe you can try to help me out too????

[ccsmod0]

re:

Hi there,

We’re glad you reached out – thank for your post. It sounds like you’re dealing with so much at home and there have been a lot of changes that you’ve been going through. It seems like you’ve moved around and are now living with your mom – who is pretty unhappy. It’s got to be tough to be in that environment all the time. It sounds like you’re looking for a place to get a break from everything that you’re feeling. It’s smart of you to reach out – and thanks for your guidance for the other poster. Let’s see how we can help you out.

We aren’t legal experts here, but we did want to clarify a little bit about what you said for 17 year olds. It’s not illegal to leave home without permission, but you could be brought back home all the way until you are 18. At 17, you are still considered a minor and still have a legal guardian. Once you turn 18, you gain legal responsibility for yourself and so you get to decide where you want to live. So even if you leave at 17, you could potentially be brought back home.

It sounds like you are looking for a place to go to get away from things. We have a lot of resources here of places where you might be able to go. It might also be important to think through family members or friends who you might be able to stay with.

We hope that this is helpful for you. If you’d like to talk more about whatever you’re dealing with or if you want us to look up those resources, please call or chat with us. You can call us at 1800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or chat with us through our website (www.1800runaway.org).

We look forward to your call or chat.

Best of luck to you and stay strong,

NRS

[Unregistered]

No title

hi. i thought that if you left your house hold you could sign off as an adult at the age of 16. i am not in danger at home although me and my parents arent in the mental state to be in the same place living together all we do is bring each other down. if i were to leave not necessarily run away wouldn't the police ask me if i wanted to return home before they took me home.