Can you go to jail for helping a runaway?

[Guest]

My boyfriend and I have two best friends that are dating (A=Girl Z=Boy) Our friend A has a horrible home life and she wanted to run away so she called Z. Z can not drive so he called my boyfriend and asked him to drive. They helped her sneak out and go to a friends house. The police were called and now Z might go to juvenile for the situation. Can my boyfriend get in trouble for being the driver and being involved?

[ccsmod10]

Hey there,

Thanks for reaching out to NRS. We are here to help you in any way we can and we’re open 24/7.

It sounds like your friends are going through a pretty stressful time, thanks for reaching out for them! We’re not legal experts so our knowledge on laws are basic. Harboring a runaway is when that party are not giving accurate information on a runaway’s whereabouts. That could lead to a number of different legal issues such as misdemeanor charges (fines or jail charges). From what we know it isn’t something that typically happens, but it is in place to detour individuals from helping runaway minors from not returning home or lying on a runaway’s behalf.

We hope this response was helpful! We certainly want to help you. If you give us a call on our 24/7 hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) we could help you find resources in your area and could potentially help you brainstorm a possible solution to the issues you are having. We would love to talk to you.

Best, NRS