Return-Path: <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id i5AFAe921571; Thu, 10 Jun 2004 11:10:40 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2004 11:10:40 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <200406101508.i5AF8b921303@literacy.nifl.gov> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Glenn Young" <gyoungxlt@comcast.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:1389] RE: Child Poverty in the U.S. X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Office Outlook, Build 11.0.5510 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 7202 Lines: 156 Came across this article ... Thought people would be interested http://www.tdcaa.com/dynam_iprosecresults.asp?srch=all New study highlights reading-prison connection New study highlights reading-prison connection State spending $12 million in re-incarceration costs for every 1,000 non-reading prisoners By Mike Ward AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Friday, May 28, 2004 More than a third of the convicts released from Texas prisons in 2002 were functionally illiterate, and half of those could not read, significantly reducing their chances of success as law-abiding citizens, a study shows. Not surprisingly, much the same was true for youths freed from Texas Youth Commission lockups -- and those who could not read were much more likely to end up back behind bars as adults. Commissioned by the Dyslexia Research Foundation of Texas, the study -- the first of three parts -- is reported to be the first comprehensive examination of a link between learning and reading disabilities and the effects on Texas' school and prison systems. It was compiled by analyzing existing statistical data from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the Youth Commission, the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission and the Windham School District, the school district that operates inside Texas prisons. "This report confirms that reading disabilities are prevalent in criminal justice populations, and these disabilities present a great obstacle for the successful rehabilitation of adults and juvenile offenders," the report states, calling for additional research to pinpoint causes and strategies to address the problem. At a time when prisoner rehabilitation and re-entry programs in Texas and across the country are finding new favor among the public and policymakers, the report is expected to generate new support for a growing list of alternative-to-prison initiatives, as a way to cut crime, save taxpayer money and avert building more prisons in coming years. It could also provide a blueprint, prisoner advocates suggest, for new rehabilitation programs that will work better. Other findings in the study: * Of the approximately 800,000 adults and youths who are in jail, in prison or on probation or parole in Texas, a disproportionately high percentage have learning disabilities and reading disorders. * Every 1,000 nonreaders released from prison will cost taxpayers $12 million in future prison costs, because their rate of recidivism is higher, compared with $7.2 million for those who can read. * For every 100 youth offenders released with a second-grade reading level, the costs to taxpayers for future incarceration will be almost $2.6 million more than those with an 11th-grade reading level. The difference: a recidivism rate that is 62 percent, instead of 36 percent. "The individual findings are significant because it tells us a lot more about the root causes for why people don't succeed," said Tony Fabelo, a national criminal justice consultant and study author who for years headed the Texas Criminal Justice Policy Council that charted prison trends. "There is a basic issue here: If people can't read, their chances of making it on the outside are considerably diminished." William Hilgers, president of the dyslexia foundation, hailed the study findings as a first step toward better understanding the problem of dyslexia and other learning disabilities. "Our hypothesis is that undetected and untreated dyslexia affects a great proportion of inmates in Texas prisons and juvenile offenders, creating an enormous, long-term burden on society," he said. "Because little is known about the prevalence of dyslexia in correctional populations, it is clear that we do not fully understand the effectiveness of the remediation strategies used to teach offenders with dyslexia and that more research is necessary if we want to improve the success of rehabilitation efforts." According to the study, 45,221 of Texas' almost 145,000 prisoners in 2002 were functionally illiterate (about 32 percent) -- and 23,008 of the functionally illiterate could not read. Of those released from prison in 2002, about 32 percent were functionally illiterate and about half of those could not read. Functionally illiterate people are those who have reading and writing skills insufficient for ordinary practical needs. A 1999 study by researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston found that 41.5 percent of Texas inmates scored low enough to indicate they were dyslexic, and a subsequent study by the Criminal Justice Policy Council correlated illiteracy with high recidivism. Among teen offenders incarcerated by the Texas Youth Commission, the study found, 43 percent are classified as needing special education -- compared with only 11 percent to 12 percent in public schools -- and only 8.3 percent were reading at their expected level for their age. "Eighty-three percent were reading below grade level when they were released, and almost half of those were reading at four or more levels below expectation," Fabelo said. "That is a significant problem." Fifty-two percent of the youths released from the youth lockups were back behind bars within three years, the study shows, compared with about 40 percent of adult prisoners. For those youths who obtained a GED while at youth commission facilities, the recidivism rate dropped to 30.4 percent, compared with 48.2 percent for those who attended school but did not get their GED. The study found that a fourth of the students in juvenile justice alternative schools across Texas are classified as needing special education, and 68 percent of the special education students in those schools are classified as having learning disabilities. Overall, students in the schools have below the average reading scores reported for all students statewide. Ron Bradford, superintendent of the state prison system's 83,000-student Windham School District, said the findings underscore the importance of educating prisoners before they are released -- as a benefit to society, as well as the inmates. "For someone with little education, little job experience, a learning disability and the tag as an ex-con, I'd say your chances of making it once you're released in most cases are pretty hopeless," Bradford said. Glenn Young 505 East Braddock Rd # 608 Alexandria VA 22314 703-684-1750 gyoungxlt@comcast.net -----Original Message----- From: nifl-povracelit@nifl.gov [mailto:nifl-povracelit@nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Mary Ann Corley Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2004 8:36 AM To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:1387] Child Poverty in the U.S. The following is from Connect for Kids (www.connectforkids.org): Choosing Child Poverty Why are so many U.S. children poor? By some measures, we have the highest childhood poverty rate of any wealthy nation. In their book Poor Kids in a Rich Country, economists Timothy Smeeding and Lee Rainwater conclude it doesn't have to be so. Smeeding spoke recently with Connect for Kids editor Susan Phillips. Click here for a transcript of the interview: http://www.connectforkids.org/resources3139/resources_show.htm?doc_id=227267
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