MIP question...?

Question

so say you are at a party with drugs/alcohol but you aren't drinking or doing anything wrong. my friend says as long as you aren't participating in any illegal acts you are fine. but i say that you can get in trouble because you are still in the surrounding area. who's right?

Answer 1

If you are at the party and you know something illegal is happening you can be arrested for accessory to the crime or if you are the oldest one there and you know minors are there and they are drinking you could be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.  Either way I would not stick around.

Answer 2

Seems like you are leaving out alot of detail that could be important to the the correct answer. And theres an old saying that you are only as good as the company you keep.

Answer 3

If you're 16 & driving with a parent who IS drinking or has an open bottle - you're in trouble.  Even if you haven't drank or touched the bottle.

Not sure what state you're in.

Stay safe & be careful.

Answer 4

I know in Michigan you can get something called a Minor in Association (MIA) for this which carries almost exactly the same consequences as an MIP.  In most states you can get in trouble for just being somewhere where illegal activity is taking place.  The moral of the story is that you might as well just drink with everyone else.

Answer 5

You would have to ask a lawyer in your jurisdiction. In general, if you haven't committed a crime, you're fine, but every now and then you hear these stories (in the news) about crazy legislatures criminalizing the mere act of being around people who are drinking under-age. New Jersey comes to mind.

Also, even if you really aren't doing anything illegal, you could still get arrested. Cops don't care about right and wrong, they just need to make their arrest quotas for the month.