In "The Outsiders", why does Johnny decide to turn himself in?

Johnny has given a lot of thought to the the idea of turning himself in, and has good reasons for his decision.  He is tired of hiding out in the church, and thinks he has "a good chance of bein' let off easy" because he doesn't have a police record and he had acted in self-defense.  Also, even though his own parents do not care about him, he knows that "it ain't fair for Ponyboy to have to stay up in that church with Darry and Soda worrying about him all the time".  Dally points out that the law is harder on Greasers than they are on other people, and says,  "You get hardened in jail...I don't want that to happen to you...like it happened to me", but Johnny responds, "Would you rather have me living in hide-outs for the rest of my life, always on the run?"  In the final analysis, turning himself in is really the only realistic thing to do, and Johnny is wise enough to see that and courageous enough to carry it through (Chapter 6).