The Dynamics of Running Away,Deinstitutionalization Policies and the Police

Abstract Over the last decade, public concern about the risks associated with running away has risen, and conservative policy makers have advocated for a “rethinking” of the juvenile justice system's liberal reforms of the 1970s, especially the deinstitutionalization of status offenders (DSO). Yet questions over the impact of DSO remain unanswered. This study examines the emergence of and debates about DSO to understand the contemporary “status” of runaways. Official reports on runaways and interviews with police and youth workers suggest that most youth return home and that police efforts to locate and assist runaways are constrained by legal and practical forces.