running away please help

[Guest]

im 15 and living in virginia and am wondering about the law for running away. if i ran away just for a day or two and then came back, my parents could still get the police involved, right? since running away is a status offense, whats the worst that could happen to me if i chose to do so? also, if i was staying with a friend for the day or two, could their parents get in trouble for harboring a runaway? what if they didnt know i was a runaway?

thanks for the help.

[ccsmod1]

A Reply from NRS

Thanks for contacting us. It sounds like you’re wondering about some of the laws that may affect you if you were to run away. Unfortunately, we can’t give you specific legal advice since we aren’t lawyers here, but we do know some of the general laws and possible consequences. First, there is no time limit for when a parent can file a runaway report. This means as soon as you leave, even if you’re gone for just a couple days, your parents could contact the police. Second, not every state classifies running away as a status offense. But even so the main consequence for youth that run away is being returned home. In some areas, youth can be held in juvenile detention for running but this is usually just for 24 or 48 hours. Lastly, as far as harboring a runaway goes many states have this law; sometimes it’s called ‘contributing to the delinquent of a minor’. The basis of this law is generally that if an adult (over 1 knowingly lets a minor that has runaway stay with them and they do not contact the youth’s parents or the police, it can be considered harboring. There’s no guarantee that your friend’s parents wouldn’t get into trouble even if they didn’t know.

From what you wrote, it sounds like you’re maybe thinking about leaving for a day or two. How do you think your parents will react? Do you think there will be consequences for leaving? What is your reason for wanting to leave? Our hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you ever want to talk. Sometimes it helps to have a non-judgmental person to talk to. We won’t tell you what to do, but we can definitely talk to you about what’s been going on and help you come up with a safe plan of action. The number is 1-800-RUNAWAY. We’re completely confidential and anonymous, meaning we never call parents or police. Call anytime, someone will be here.

[shelly]

need help

How can I lev my moms house and no I won't go to a faster care

[ccsmod8]

re: need help

Hi there. Thanks for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you want to leave home but are concerned about what might happen. It’s great that you are thinking ahead and trying to come up with a plan. Are there certain things that are going on that are making you want to leave? Sometimes it can seem like running away is the only options. Are there things that could change at your mom’s house that would make living there either safer or more comfortable?

Generally speaking, if you were to leave home without permission you would be committing a status offense if your mom filed you as a runaway. If that were the case and you were to be found by the police, most of the time they will return you home. It’s understandable that you might be concerned about going into foster care, but usually, that would not be the first thing that would happen. If there are other things that are going on at home such as abuse or neglect, or if you have other involvement with the department of children and family services, that could affect the possibility of foster care becoming involved. If you have more questions, we are here 24 hours a day/7 days a week at 1-800-RUNAWAY. We are also around from 4:30-11:30pm CST through our live chat at 1800runaway.org. We are so glad that you reached out to us and hope that you will call us in the future.