NCJ Number
121787
Date Published
1984
Length
51 pages
Annotation
The major portion of this publication consists of listings of national and State resources for runaway youths (including hotlines, shelters, and counseling, medical, legal, educational, employment, referral, and aftercare services) and missing children (including law enforcement, legal, religious, and informational organizations).
Abstract
There are two conflicting opinions on the problem of runaway youth: that they should be incarcerated for a period of time to gather information, secure assistance from other agencies, arrange for returning youths home, and generally protect young people from the evils of the street, or that detention does not protect and runaway behavior is a social problem requiring a social solution. There are four types of runaways, who have different reasons for running and different needs for services: healthy runners, unhealthy runners, curious runners, and chronic runners. Some general techniques that programs can follow for working with runaways include developing a runaway profile, developing a formal contract upon admittance, and observing and reacting to runaway signals. Early ascertainment and investigation increase the chances of locating a missing child. Media publicity and public education programs are also important techniques, but education at home to increase a child's awareness of potential danger is vital.