What would happen if you ran away at 17?

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One law that many people do not know about and in all honesty it may have been revoked, though it is a good one to check into if your situation calls for it, in most states in the U.S. a female at the age of 16 can legally "run away" and can not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 As I stated, the law could have been revoked or revised, so it is definitely a good idea to check into it and check out all your options before doing anything drastic or dangerous, such as running away.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.