Literacy Rates and Incarceration Rates

Literacy Rates and Incarceration Rates

• Low reading levels are the common denominator in: 
  • School discipline.
  • Attendance.
  •  Dropout problems.
  • Juvenile crime.

Literacy and Incarceration

Literacy rates greatly effect the school-to-prison pipeline

Just as zero tolerance discipline has been proven to be a major contributor to the school-to-prison pipeline, so has low reading levels. That makes sense, the two often go hand-in-hand. According to the Reading Foundation, “low achievement in reading is the common denominator in school discipline, attendance, dropout problems, and juvenile crime. Academically, students not reading on grade level by the end of third grade struggle in every class, year after year, because 85% of the curriculum is taught by reading.”¹Reading Foundation. “Impact on Children,” ReadingFoundation.org Accessed 18 June 2022.  

It is often said that some state department of corrections use fourth grade (or third grade) reading scores to help plan for expansion of prison facilities, it is likely not true. There is, however, an “undeniable connection between literacy skills and incarceration rates.”²Reading Partners. “Do prisons use third grade reading scores to predict the number of prison beds they’ll need?” ReadingPartners.org. Accessed 18 June 2022 A student not working at grade level by the end of third grade is one fourth less likely to graduate than those on track in reading. Those behind on their reading and from low income families are one sixth less likely to graduate. Northeastern University studies show that over 80% of incarcerated adults are high school dropouts.³Lynch, Matthew. “High School Dropout Rate: Causes and Costs.” HuffPost. 30 May 2014, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/high-school-dropout-rate_b_5421778. Accessed 20 June 2022. That same study found that approximately one out of ten high school dropouts, ages 16-24, were institutionalized on any given day in 2006-2007 as opposed to only one out of every 33 high school graduates.⁴Sum, Andrew et. al. “The Consequences of Dropping Out of High School Joblessness and Jailing for High School Dropouts and the High Cost for Taxpayers,” Repository Library Northeastern University, October, 2019. https://repository.library.northeastern.edu/downloads/neu:376324. Accessed 19 June 2022. There is no doubt of a connection between literacy rates and incarceration rates.

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