Investigated whether runaway behavior could be related to six problematic areas. Selected scales of the Personality Inventory for Children, representing the six areas, were hypothesized to discriminate between an adolescent runaway group (N=60) and a control group (N-60). The runaway group was not significantly different from a known clinical…

Follows Israeli youngsters who had been residents of shelters for runaway and homeless youths. A majority of the youngsters had either returned to their family homes, or had been placed out of home. Post-shelter place of residence was related to length of stay at the shelter, amount of contact with their family while at the shelter, and manner of…

Characteristics of 223 adolescents with a history of maltreatment who sought services from runaway and homeless youth programs were described. Among findings were that over one-third had been "pushed out" of their homes by their families and that biological mothers were the most frequently cited perpetrators of maltreatment (63 percent). (DB)

Investigates behavioral characteristics of 223 runaway and homeless youth who sought services from programs in New York. Results suggest that behavioral indicators of maltreatment can be observed among runaway and homeless youth. Indicators vary as a function of gender, maltreatment, and reasons for seeking assistance. (RJC)

Explores the situations of "missing" children and discusses sources of information about these children. More than 99% of all missing child cases reported to police in 1996 were successfully resolved, but data suggest that about 150,000 children each year are hurt physically or mentally during the time they are missing. (SLD)

Runaway behavior is presented from the point of view of 26 teenagers in a rural New England shelter. Reasons for running include seeking freedom from abusive treatment, and a search for connection. Running was found to be a "last resort" behavior. Many youths expressed the desire for reconciliation. (Author/EMK)

Parental monitoring, teacher support, classmate support, and friend relationship presumably affect adolescents' runaway from home. According to social control theory, social control based on conventional social norms would prevent adolescent runaway, but association with friends may erode such control. This expectation appears to hold true in a…

The size of the runaway and throwaway population is alarming. Two primary reasons explain why programs for adolescent runaways have failed and each one is embedded historically in American culture. The first is that strict discipline and reform have been seen throughout history as the most appropriate manner by which to control youth. The second…

The National Center for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ) analyzed records in the Center's National Juvenile Court Data Archive to examine how the juvenile courts handled runaway cases. NCJJ examined 40,000 records of runaway cases processed between 1985 and 1986 in 611 jurisdictions from 12 states representing about one-quarter of the U.S. youth population…

An overview of the history of adolescent runaway behavior indicates that it has become a social and psychological problem of significant proportions. This study investigated the use of a personality measure that was hypothesized to be representative of a cluster of behaviors associated with running away. The study also sought to determine a…

For 3.5 years, North Carolina has conducted a randomized experimental program designed to provide intensive supervision services for undisciplined youths (status offenders) placed under the protective supervision of the juvenile courts. Updated results from an ongoing systematic evaluation of the project indicate that, for undisciplined youths…

For homeless children, assuming responsibility for their own survival is an act of self-empowerment. However, society tends to see these children as victims to be rescued, delinquents who need to be disciplined, or else they are ignored. These views deny the resourcefulness of children who survive under these conditions. A study was conducted of…

This document contains witness testimonies and prepared statements from the Congressional hearing called to examine S. 1195, legislation which would require a portion of Congressional and executive branch mail to include the photograph and biography of a missing child. In his opening statement Representative Frank McCloskey points out that mail…

This booklet provides guidance to law enforcement officers investigating missing children cases, whether through parental kidnappings, abductions by strangers, runaway or "throwaway" cases, and those in which the circumstances are unknown. The guide describes, step-by-step, the investigative process required for each of the four types of missing…