Set It Off and Thelma & Louise
The justification of outlaw status in these two films is very paralleling, despite the obvious differences between them. In Set It Off, the characters often times discuss their "lack of options"; how the the only way for them to get out of their present circumstances is to rob a bank, thus justifying why they become "on the run" as a means of successfully completing their goal. As for Thelma & Louise, it is another case of "lack of options". The women encounter a dangerous situation that requires them to commit a crime, somewhat of a "last resort" scenario. But because of this crime, they see no other choice but to run to escape the authoritative power that they think would no doubt disagree with the validity of their crime. Herein lies the comparable aspect: both sets of women were placed in situations that they personally only saw one way out of. Their need to become outlaws only stemmed from the fact that in our society, their actions, valid or not, would be unacceptable. To truly be free in an "on the road" and "leaving home" sense, they had to evade these powers until they could start anew. As we learn, however, Thelma's and Louise's evasion of power leads them to death, as well as all but Stoney.
This brings us to the question of how the endings are similar and different. In the case of Thelma & Louise, they are given a choice. This choice is not presented by the law (who no doubt sees the options as give yourselves up or we shoot) but by the women themselves. They can either stop and go back to the lives they've run from (but more likely, jail) or they can feel the triumph of not being caught and continue in the journey (off the cliff). They make the powerful decision to carry on together. As for Set It Off, these women didn't have the power of a communal decision; they were forced to split up and fend for themselves. One died right away and they stuck together for as long as they could, but by necessity, they had to slowly peel off. This resulted in many more personal choices made much more complicated by circumstance. It wasn't "give up or drive off" like for Thelma and Louise, but the choice between sticking together and likely getting caught or splitting up. But in the end, Cleo's decision brought it back to the same level as Thelma & Louise. She knew she could give up and let them take her away, but she wasn't willing to let them have that power, so she "went down swinging", and like Thelma and Louise, chose to basically control her own fate.