Texas age 13

[Unregistered]

Is is legal for a 13 year old to run away in Texas?

[ccsmod6]

re: Texas age 13

Hi

Thanks for contacting the National Runaway Safeline. Generally speaking, it is not illegal to run away. However running away is considered a status offense in most states. Status offenses are behaviors that violate the law only if committed by a minor. Status offenses include some of the following such as running away from home, truancy, curfew violations, and underage drinking. If you leave home without permission, your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) do have the right to report you as a runaway. In most cases, if seen by law enforcement, runaways are picked up and arrangements are made for youth to return home.

We hope the information provided helps.

Best Wishes
~NRS

[Unregistered]

What if

Hi

Thanks for contacting the National Runaway Safeline. Generally speaking, it is not illegal to run away. However running away is considered a status offense in most states. Status offenses are behaviors that violate the law only if committed by a minor. Status offenses include some of the following such as running away from home, truancy, curfew violations, and underage drinking. If you leave home without permission, your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) do have the right to report you as a runaway. In most cases, if seen by law enforcement, runaways are picked up and arrangements are made for youth to return home.

We hope the information provided helps.

Best Wishes
~NRS

What will happen if you run away or what does a status charge do

[ccsmod0]

re:

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out tonight and asking those questions. You ask good questions and it sounds like you're trying to figure out all these legal issues surrounding running. That's smart. So let's see how we can help you out tonight.

We aren't legal experts here, but we are able to speak generally as to what might happen if you decide to leave. If you leave without your parent's permission, your parents have the right to file a runaway report with the police. In some states a runaway report is classified as a status offense. A status offense is a lot like a parking ticket. There is no fine, you wouldn't be arrested and it goes away as soon as you are returned home or as soon as you turn 18. If you are on probation or parole, running away could carry with it some more consequences.

We hope that this information is helpful to you. If you want to talk more or have any other questions, call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). If you aren't able to call, you can chat with us through our website (www.1800runaway.org) from 4.30pm-11.30pm Central Time. We look forward to your call or chat.

Best of luck,

NRS

[Guest]

I'm 13 will i go to jail if I run alway

[ccsmod6]

Hi,

Thanks for reaching out to us tonight here at the National Runaway Safeline! It sounds like you might be considering running away at the age of 13. We appreciate you reaching out to us for more information, hopefully we can give you some information on runaway laws to help you make your decision.

If you leave home before the age of 18 without permission you could be considered a runaway. Running away is not illegal - but it is considered a status offense. What this means is that you won't be arrested for running away, but your parents or guardian could file a runaway report for you with the police. You would then be put into a national runaway database and the police would be looking for you. If the police found you they would take you back home. It would not go on your permanent record or anything, though.

Please know you can always call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY if you want to talk more about what you are going through, we are 24/7 so someone will always be here! We wish you the best of luck with everything.

[Guest]

I’m 14 and I want to run away, however I live in Texas. Is there any possible way I can run away without it being illegal or getting caught?

[ccsmod10]

Hey there,

Thanks for reaching out to NRS! We’re open 24/7, if you’d ever like to call in and talk more with us about what's going on at home that's making you think about running away, we're here.

As far as we know, you can’t be arrested for running away, nor does the runaway report stay on your record. 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. It’s not a common charge that we hear about since it’s very hard to prove. Since we're not legal experts, we always offer to call out with youth to their local police station, through our conference calling service. That way we can ask them exactly what their protocols are, if you're interested in using that service, don't hesitate to call into our safeline.

We are always here to listen and here to help in any way that we can. Our safeline is open 24/7. We also have a chatting service via our website, unfortunately, it is not always open. The best way to contact us would be to call in and talk with our trained liners.

Be well, NRS

[Guest]

Will I go to court if they find me?

[ccsmod5]

Thanks for writing in. We’re unsure about the specifics of your case and we aren’t legal experts, but generally speaking if a minor runs away and the police are able to locate them, the minor will be returned home. There are generally no legal consequences, so likely you will not go to court unless there are other circumstances (for example, if you are on parole or have a special court order preventing you from running away). To speak more specifically about your situation, give us a call at 1-800-786-292. Best of luck.

[Guest]

I want to run away pls help

[ccsmod5]

Hi, thanks for reaching out. It sounds like you're in a challenging situation and are wanting to leave home. We're not legal experts, but generally speaking you would need to be 18 to leave home without parental consent. If you leave without permission before then, your family would have the right to file a runaway report and if the police are able to locate you, they would return you home. That being said, we understand that sometimes there are circumstances that would make it necessary to leave home and that is an option that may apply here. If you wanna talk about the situation more specifically, please feel free to reach out to us at 1-800-786-2929. Best of luck.

[Guest]

Let's say a person under 18 runs away from home. Then the person they're with keeps them safe. Ive read that theyll be returned home if filed. But what if the runaway is safe with the person they want to stay with, do they get returned home or can they stay?

[ccsmod1]

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out to us at the National Runaway Safeline. We're here 24/7 to listen and to support.

We are not legal experts, but we can tell you that if you are a minor and you leave home and your parents file a runaway report, you could be returned home. There could also be legal consequences for whomever you stay with for what is called harboring a run away. Even if you are safe, they could still return you home because as a minor you have to be returned to the person that has custody over you. If there is abuse in the home or there have been abuse reports made that could change the way the police handles the situation. Your age could also change the way they handle it. The way to get the most accurate information about how the police would act would be to reach out to them and inquire about how they handle runaway reports. If you want a liner to help you walk through this option, don't hesitate to give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929).

Stay safe,

NRS

[Guest]

I want to run away at age 13 and I want to know if I can get arrested for running away

[ccsmod5]

Hey,
Thanks for reaching out. It sounds like you want to run away. Though we’re not legal experts, we can say that you generally need to be 18 years old to leave without parental consent. If you leave without permission, your family would have the right to file a runaway report and if the police are able to locate you they will return you home. Running away is usually not considered a crime and there are usually no legal consequences.
Thank you again for reaching out. We hope this was helpful and we encourage you to reach out by phone if you need additional resources or need help figuring out your options. Our number is 1-800-786-2929 and our lines are always open. If you have a moment, we'd appreciate your feedback of our crisis services at the following link:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/we_care_what_you_think

Stay safe!

[Guest]

So are you saying that it's not against the law to run away 14 years old that's my that's m

[ccsmod10]

Hello,

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It seems like there must be a lot going on in your life especially at home if you’re thinking about running away from home. It’s great that you were able to find out some information about our hotline. Hopefully we can help.

Like we tell a lot of our callers and/or people that email us, the laws on that specific subject of just leaving home and/or running away vary from state to state. Now we aren’t legal experts, but what generally what typically happens if a minor runs away, is that your parents would be able to make a runaway. You can’t be arrested for running away. A good way to find out exactly what the police protocols are in your city, would be to reach out to your local non-emergency police. You can ask them hypothetical questions about running away. We can help find runaway/youth shelters in your area, so you can stay safe. If you’re interested in having us look into the shelters, please call our safeline.

We’re always here for you and will do our best to help, and find you options. Our safeline is open 24/7. We also have a chatting service via our website, unfortunately, it is not always open. The best way to contact us would be to call in and talk with our trained liners.

Stay safe, NRS

[Guest]

What is the worst thing that could happen if you run away at age 13? I'm having severe parental issues and I don't want to even hear them anymore...

[ccsmod3]

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out to us at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you are in a difficult situation, and we understand it takes courage to reach out for help.

We aren’t legal experts, but we have general knowledge about running away. In most states, running away isn’t illegal, but what is called a status offense. You can’t get arrested for it but it will mostly likely go on your record until you are 18. The police will only know if you have runaway if your parents/guardians file a police report. We can’t say for sure how the police will respond, but we hear a lot that police will take potential places you might be and will actively search for you. If they come across you, the most likely will return you home to your parents. Sometimes we hear that if you are staying with someone who knows you are a runaway and are not actively trying to return you or finding shelter for you, your guardians/or police can press charges against the people who are housing you, with something that is called harboring. One of our main goals is to make sure you are safe, so if you ever seriously decide to run away and need shelter, resources, or a safe place to go you can find safe locations at nationalsafeplace.org or reach out to us directly and we can find local resources in your area.

We are here for you and will support you in anyway that we can. Please feel free to call into us directly as we can talk further about your situation and find resources that are best for you in your area. Stay strong and you are not alone in this! Our number is 1-800-RUNAWAY we are open 24/7.
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 support youth and families. Please click the link below to fill out our survey.

Tell us what you think about your experience!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/we_care_what_you_think

-NRS

[Guest]

im 13 if i choose to run away and be a prostitute will get into trouble with the law

[ccsmod10]

Hi there,

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline seems like there must be a lot going on in your life, especially at home, with the problems if you’re thinking about leaving. It’s great that you were able to find out some information about our hotline. Hopefully we can help.

Now we aren't legal experts here but like we tell a lot of our callers, 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 or legal guardian 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 and since you are so young that would most likely happen.

Prostitution is against the law and very dangerous. You would be a high risk of being a human trafficking target and if you’re caught you can be arrested. We are able to look for runaway shelters in your area, you can call our hotline or use our chatting services via our website if you'd like us to look for those. They are shelters that house runaway youth and keep them off the street.

We’re always here if you’d like to talk more about what’s going on at home that’s making you want to runaway. Our services are confidential and non-directive, so we can’t tell you what to do and we won’t ask you your name if you’re not comfortable giving that out. We also have an online chat service that is available through our website (www.1800runaway.org) if you don’t feel like calling in to talk on the phone.

Best, NRS

[Guest]

Hey I'm 16 and live in Texas . I ran away from my uncles house since I was staying there since my parents live in another part of Texas . I ran away because my uncle didn't want me staying there anymore so he was gonna take me to my parents which I really didn't want because my boyfriend. And I'm pregnant. I didn't want to leave him . So me and him both left. We live eachother very much. Well I wanted to know that if I'm pregnant with my boyfriends baby and my parents try sending me with them that if my boyfriend can try pressing charges since I'm pregnant with his baby. And possibly live with him?
Coul this happen?

[ccsmod8]

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. 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. Hopefully we can help you though this time.

Looks like you have some specific questions that you wanted answered. Please know that we aren’t legal experts here, so what we say might not always be what is going to happen. This is just knowledge that we have gathered talking to different police departments and other youth that have called in. So from what we know, being pregnant and/or having a child as a minor doesn’t change the custody statue of your parents. You just become a minor with a child, but are still under the authority of your parents or care givers. With that you boyfriend can’t press charges against you parents for taking you home and making you live with them once again. It is not until you turn 18 years old that you are able to make your own decisions to move out and live where you choose to. Until then your parents or care givers hold that power; with or without child.

It’s hard to talk too just anyone one about what has been going on. Please rest assured that we are completing confidential. So anything that you share with us will stay between us. We don’t ask for any identifying information, unless you want to report any abuse. If you give us a call on our 24/7 hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) we could you brainstorm a possible solution to the issues you are having. We would love to talk to you.