Lake Forest, IL asked in Civil Litigation and Juvenile Law for Illinois

Q: After possession of alcohol in school and a run away attempt, am I legally aloud to leave the house as a minor alone?

I was recently caught with alcohol at school, and I am now serving 2 weeks of detention and a drug awareness program. On the same day I was caught, I ran away for a few hours and my parents filed a missing persons case. After I was found, I was allowed to freely return home with my father. When these things happened, in no ways was I agitated, aggressive, or physically dangerous to authority/police. My parents are telling me that I’m under 6 month supervision, 1 month of grounding, having to delete my social media accounts, and retracting my phone data plan. They are saying that i’m not aloud, “by the law” to exit my home. They said the officers told them to monitor me 24/7. Never did the police nor my school staff mention to me that i had these penalties, with an exception of the 6 month one. Are the police directions legally binding, or was it just advice that my parents don’t have to necessarily listen to? Am I aloud to go outside alone freely with parent permission right now?

1 Lawyer Answer
William Wolf
William Wolf
Answered
  • Juvenile Law Lawyer
  • Chicago, IL
  • Licensed in Illinois

A: You have to follow your parents rules.

You're lucky that the police are settling things with your parents and not taking this matter to juvenile court.

You don't want to have to deal with a juvenile court judge.

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.