What would happen if you ran away at 17?

Answer 1

First if you are 16 and you are considering running away, think about it carefully. What reasons do you have for wanting to run away? Is home life so bad that it can't be worked out? If it is, there are other options besides running away.

If you are being abused, whether physically or mentally there are laws to protect you and get you out of a situation like that. Report anything of this nature to the authorities and let them handle this before making a bad decision. Life out there is not as easy as it may seem and depending on where you live, some area's worse than others.

It's really hard to give advice on questions like this not knowing the situation or circumstances behind this question. Also not knowing the location (state or country) that you live in changes the situation a lot as well. I can only answer from what I gather or assume, though I try to assume nothing.

To answer your question out right, if you were 16 when you ran away and you are not found until you are 18, the law can do nothing to you. Once you reach the age of 18 you are considered an adult, unless you have broken the law, then you are an adult and they can't charge you with anything.

One law that many people do not know about and in all honesty it may have been revoked, though it is a good one to check into if your situation calls for it, in most states in the U.S. a female at the age of 16 can legally "run away" and can not be forced back into the home as long as said female does not leave the state of residence nor does anything illegal. Oddly enough, it is 17 for Males or was. As I stated, the law could have been revoked or revised, so it is definitely a good idea to check into it and check out all your options before doing anything drastic or dangerous, such as running away.

One good tip is to call a family lawyer, most lawyers will do an initial consultation for free and will be able to explain the legalities of running away, what age you can legally leave home and even the option of emancipating yourself.

Good Luck and please, check out all options before choosing just one.

Also note, depending on where you live and the parents or legal guardians, a parent if they wish to, can have you either placed in foster care or at worst, juvenile detention until you reach the age of 18.

Answer 2

In some jurisdictions the courts may ask you whether, if view of the young person's closeness to the age of majority, you really wish to pursue the matter through the law - rather than by reconciliation. This may amount to a lawyer's way of urging you against ... After all, is there much point in forcing a minor back by using the courts, if he/she can legally run away a few months later? Bear in mind that for a parent to use the full weight of the law against a son/daughter is drastic and may reduce the chances of reconciliation in the longer term.

Answer 3

: Laws are different in each state, but generally, parents can legally allow their children to leave the parent's home as young as 15, and to become legally and financially responsible for themselves through a legal process called "emancipation." For this to happen, the parents and child have to see a judge together and parent's have to get the judge to agree that the young person is capable of living on his or her own. : If you've run away from a "good" home and your parent's aren't the best but they're not abusive or neglectful, a judge could put you under house arrest to "teach you a lesson." If you can give reasons for leaving home, or show the judge that you learned your lesson or something, s/he might just let it go. Leaving home because you have too early a curfew and your parent's don't understand you at all and are more interested in other things isn't legal. Basically, you have to have a legal adult guardian unless you're emancipated. If you make it through life in a home like this you'll be better off for it later and you'll learn that your parents aren't evil, just don't know what they're doing with a teenager. : If the parents are abusive, are heavy drug users, or are neglectful, a young person can be legally removed from the parent's home by the state, but if there is not a family member willing and able (according to the court and the family member) to care for the young person, he or she will have to go to a foster care home or community, which can be very harsh. But it can be better than living with abusive people. Please, if your parent or parents are putting you in danger, are abusing you or are letting someone else abuse you, or touch you please talk to someone about it. Anyone working at a place like Covenant House, Boys and Girls Club, or in rural areas just someone you trust who is over 18 (preferably over 24) and will help you. If your parents abuse you or sexually touch you or are dangerous for you, you DONT need their permission to leave, but to do it legally, you have to do it though the legal system, and that means finding an adult who will help. For more advice, 1-800-656-HOPE is a number to call for help with incest rape or abuse.

Answer 4

You would be sent home if you were found or caught. 18 is the freedom number. You may also be arrested.

Answer 5

You will likely never learn the difference between the possessive pronoun "your" and the contraction for "you are", spelled "you're". Stay home and stay in school.

Answer 6

This teen would be seen as a delinquent and would be hunted, and after thay have captured the teen, they would ether enroll said teen in a foster system, or in a juvenile jail.

Answer 7

The police will come

Answer 8

Nothing. You are now an adult.