Delinquency In The Outsiders

According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquent Preventions, the Juvenile arrest rate in 1967 was a total of 2.4 million children ages 12-17. The Outsiders was written in this year. The realistic fictional novel, The Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton and the article, “What Causes Juvenile Delinquency,” by Ilanna Sharon Mandel, both relate to Juvenile Delinquency and its effects on children and their loved ones. Mandel’s points towards Juvenile Delinquency can be applied to Ponyboy and the other greasers through peer influences, family life, self-esteem, race discrimination, and horrible trauma. Initially, peer and family influences can greatly contribute to children committing juvenile acts. Mandel states “there are parents who give

Darry hits Ponyboy as a form of punishment, causing him to run away, shows this. According to the article, some activities such as drinking, fighting, and smoking may lead to juvenile delinquency. (page one, paragraph five) Similarly, S. E. Hinton states, “ ‘He [Dally] went hunting some action –booze or dames or a fight. I hope he doesn’t get jailed again. He just got out.’” (page twenty-eight, paragraph six) Words such as “booze” and “jailed” shows that dally is looking to get into trouble. Interacting in fights and alcohol are not activities that have positive long-term outcomes. The novel and the article substantiate towards drinking and fighting being an unhealthy activity for children and teens. According to Mandel, Family members have a very strong influence on the development of positive or negative behavior. (page two, paragraph two) The Outsiders correspondingly states that Ponyboy believes it is okay for him to do unpleasant in his schoolwork because his older brother, Sodapop, dropped out of high school and that he

According to Mandel, “the survey reveals that over 47% of boys who are sexually assaulted will go on to commit delinquent acts, almost 20% of girls who are sexually assaulted go on to commit delinquent acts, 46% of boys who have been physically assaulted commit delinquent acts, and almost 30% of girls who are physically assaulted will commit an act of delinquency.” (page 5, paragraph 4) This startling statistic proves that Johnny’s abusive father and mother are the leading factor in his friend choices and his addiction to smoking. This also confirms why Ponyboy ran away when his fatherly figure, Darry, slapped him. Running away is an act of delinquent behavior, so when Ponyboy felt abused, he committed a delinquent act of running away. Another good point Mandel argues is, “The word Youth Reports cites interesting evidence and research into the connection between trauma and violence in a child or young person’s life and committing acts of delinquency. The report notes that an interesting facet of delinquent behavior is that it is more commonly committed in groups rather than as individuals.” (page five, paragraph five) Throughout the novel, Hinton prominently separates two different social groups; the Socs and the Greasers. Both groups commit acts of delinquent behavior together, and rarely alone. “ ‘She’s your mother.’ ‘I said I don’t want to see her.’ His voice was rising. ‘She’s