Center for Problem-Oriented Policing

The information provided in the previous section is only a generalized description of runaways and runaway episodes. You must combine the basic facts with a more specific understanding of your local problems. Analyzing the local problem carefully will help you design a more effective response strategy.

Asking the right questions

The following are some critical questions you should ask in analyzing your particular problem of runaways, even if the answers are not always readily available. Your answers to these and other questions will help you choose the most appropriate set of responses later. Most research on runaways is based on information reported by young people; very few studies examine parents’ or caretakers’ perspectives.62 Both perspectives are needed to understand the local problem’s dynamics, the available resources and barriers to using them, and the types of police responses most likely to impact the problem.

Many police contacts with runaways are not recorded systematically because they do not involve criminal behavior or are considered too minor. Unfortunately, information from these contacts is needed to craft effective responses. Accordingly, you should first determine what types of records are being kept and, if necessary, develop additional procedures to capture the information needed to fully understand the interactions among police, runaways, and their parents or caretakers. Engaging social service partners in information-gathering can help to mediate any negative reaction to police questioning.

Further, many runaways never encounter police, so you will need to collaborate with local social service providers and schools to answer many of the analysis questions. Although police will be directly involved with only a segment of the runaway population, complete information is required to develop a comprehensive array of responses.

Juveniles who run away

• How many runaway episodes were reported to police in the past year? How many young people left home or care but were never reported to the police? Why were those reports not made?
• Aside from investigating missing persons reports, how do police come in contact with runaways? How many young people are contacted by each method?
• What are the characteristics of young people who run away from home and care? How old are they? (There may be important differences in maturity and independent living skills of young people ages 13 and younger, ages 14 through 16, and those ages 17 and older.) What race or ethnicity are they? What is their sex?
• What reasons do young people offer for running away?
• How many young people have run away multiple times? Have they left from multiple situations? If so, why?
• What prior contacts have police had with runaways, either as crime victims or suspects?

Parents

• What are the demographic and social characteristics of parents who report their child’s runaway episode to the police?
• What types of assistance do they expect police to provide? What other types of assistance (e.g., social services) are requested?
• What strategies do parents use to locate their children?
• How many of the missing persons reports filed by particular parents are for repeat runaway episodes for either this or another their children?
• What prior contacts have police had with parents of runaways?

Foster parents / facility staff

• What proportion of runaway episodes is reported by substitute caretakers (e.g., foster parents, group home staff)?
• Are the reports evenly distributed across the various homes or facilities in the area, or do certain ones account for a larger share of runaway reports?
• What are the homes’ and facilities’ policies for reporting young people who go missing?
• What prior contacts related to runaways have police had with foster parents or juvenile facility staff?

Runaway episodes

• How far do runaways travel from home or care?
• Do they have an intended destination when they depart? What is it? Do they go there?
• What modes of transportation do runaways use?
• What proportion stay at the homes of friends or relatives?
• What proportion stay on the street? In what locations do they congregate? Do they try to avoid contact with adults?
• In what times of the day, days of the week, or season are runaway episodes most likely to occur? Are there any peaks in police contacts?
• What kinds of experiences do runaways have? What are the key sources of danger?
• Do traffickers or drug dealers approach young people living on the street? How? How can young people safely decline their advances?
• What proportion of runaways use illicit drugs? Which drugs? What purpose does their substance use appear to serve?
• Are runaways involved in selling drugs?

• What proportion of runaways are sexually trafficked? Do they practice safer sex? If not, why not?

   

Runaways who engage in delinquent activity

• What degree of involvement do runaways have in delinquent behavior? What types of offenses do they commit?
• What proportion of runaways are arrested while missing? For what types of offenses?
• What reasons do young people give for their involvement in delinquent behavior?
• What time of the day or day of the week are runaways most likely to commit delinquent acts?
• Are any businesses adversely affected by runaways?

Victimization

• To what extent are runaways victims of crime while absent from home or care? How many are victims of property crime? How many are victims of violent crime?
• Who are the perpetrators?
• When and where do these victimizations occur?
• Are the runaways alone or in groups when victimized?
• Are there any locations that young people consider to be particularly dangerous? Why?

Return of runaways

• What proportion of runaways are willing to return home or to care?
• What needs to happen for them to agree to return?
• If they do not want to return home, what kinds of alternative arrangements do they prefer?
• What proportion of parents are not willing to allow their children to return home? Why?
• For what proportion of young people is returning home a risk of harm?
• Of the young people who return home, how long were they absent?
• How did they return (e.g., returned on their own, escorted by police or other adults)? Was their return voluntary?
• What proportion of runaways report being punished upon their return?

Current responses

• What is the police department’s current policy for dealing with runaways? When located, are runaways ever held in secure detention facilities?
• What are the procedures for taking reports, attempting to locate runaways, and following up upon return?
• Once located by police, are young people permitted to refuse to return home?
• Other than taking them into custody, how do police respond to runaways? Are any of these responses particularly effective?
• What social services are available to runaways? What role do police have in linking young people and families with these services?

• How many runaways use services designed to protect them from harm while on the street (e.g., outreach, shelters)? Which services? What are the barriers to access? Do young people think the services are credible?
• How many runaways use services designed to resolve the underlying family and personal conflicts that led to running away (e.g., counseling, family mediation or reunification services)? Which services? What are the barriers to access? Do young people think the services are credible?
• How satisfied are young people with the police response? What would they like police to do differently?
• How satisfied are parents with the police response? What would they like police to do differently?
• How satisfied are social service providers with the police response? What would they like police to do differently?

Measuring your effectiveness

Measurement allows you to determine to what degree your efforts have succeeded and suggests how you might modify your responses if they are not producing the intended results. You should take measures of your problem before you implement responses, to determine how serious the problem is, and after you implement them, to determine whether they have been effective. All measures should be taken in both the target area and the surrounding area. For more detailed guidance on measuring effectiveness, see the companion guide to this series, Assessing Responses to Problems: Did It Work? An Introduction for Police Problem-Solvers, 2nd Edition  (https://popcenter.asu.edu/sites/default/files/assessing_responses_to_problems_final.pdf).

The problem of runaways is unlike other problems confronting police because the behavior often indicates complex family troubles. Making a measurable impact on these underlying causes will require interventions that go far beyond those implemented by police. Police responses are unlikely to impact the underlying causes and instead are likely to focus on mitigating the harm that comes to or is caused by runaways while they are absent from home or care. Police are also likely to seek assistance addressing the problem from social service agencies that are better equipped to offer such assistance.