22 days, should i leave ?

[jessie22]

Would cops do anything in washington if i leave 22 days before my eighteenth birthday, ive put up with abuse mentally sine i was 14 and im done. I cant be here and i want to leave. I know its not that long to put up with all the family issues, i just cant bare it anymore.... should i go ?

[ccsmod14]

Re: 22 days, should i leave ?

Hey,

Thanks for reaching out. It sounds like you have been through going through a lot of difficulties with your family for a long time and we are sorry to hear that, it must be frustrating.
So we are not legal experts here, but what we can tell you is that running away is not illegal. Typically, if your parents decided to make a runaway report if you left home, and the police found you, they would just bring you back home. Sometimes in different states they do things differently, meaning if you are so close to 18 they might not necessarily make you go home. One of your options for any legal questions such as this is calling your local police department, the nonemergency line, and asking your questions hypothetically. If this is something you are not entirely comfortable with, you can always call into our 24/7, confidential and anonymous hotline at 1800 RUNAWAY (786 2929), and we can make a conference call out with you.
It sounds like you are seriously thinking about leaving home, do you have a safe place to go? We have a large database here full of resources all over, and if you were to call in we could try to find local shelters for you if you do not have a place in mind.
If you would like to talk about your situation further, we are here to listen and help the best that we can. We also have a chat option, available through our website at 1800runaway.org, open from 4:30pm to 11:30pm CST. We wish you luck and hope to hear from you again soon.
Stay safe,
NRS