Increase In Criminal Activity Amongst Dropouts

David Diaz



An article by Sam Dillon called "Study Finds High Rate of Imprisonment Among Dropouts" says that on a given day one in ten high school dropouts is in jail or juvenile detention. He compares this to one in 35 high school graduates who are in jail. Dillon continues to cite all sorts of statistics, each showing that the crime rate is significantly greater in high school dropouts than high school graduates. However, Dillon doesn’t give any causes for this influx in criminal activity, nor the specific crimes that these dropout students commit.

Dillon informs the reader about several studies done in the past comparing dropout students to graduates. These studies show that one in ten high school dropouts is currently incarcerated. Minorities tend to have a greater number incarcerated, especially African-Americans. Another study showed that 54 percent of dropouts were jobless compared to 32 percent of high school graduates being jobless and only 13 percent of college graduates being jobless. Again, African Americans had a higher unemployment rate and Hispanics had a lower unemployment rate. Dillon presents substantial evidence to prove that on average a high school dropout makes significantly less money than a graduate, and is more likely to go to jail than a graduate. However, Dillon doesn’t give reasons for these statistics.

Dropout students are more likely to be arrested than a high school graduate or a college graduate simply because the dropout is less likely to have a job. Dropouts on average have a significantly a higher unemployment rate and almost always make less money than graduates. In fact, Dillon actually describes a study that found that the average dropout costs the nation $292,000 in lost tax revenue, jail costs, food stamps, and other aid. Because dropouts make no money or very little money, they have to find other means to survive. In this society one cannot survive without money, meaning that these dropouts who have no money or else very little must resort to crime in order to gain money. Unfortunately the economy just can’t provide dropouts with jobs or means to survive, so they have to survive however they can. For many the only option left is to resort to crime.

Dillon presents interesting studies that have found that a high school dropout is much more likely to go to jail than a graduate. However, he doesn’t give any reasons for this increase in criminal activity amongst dropouts. The reason for this increase in crime is because a dropout doesn’t normally have the money required to survive and must resort to crime in order to survive.