For my first blog post in a year, thought I’d mention this report I’ve been reading by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, called: Target Crime With Literacy (2009).

Some interesting facts include:

• 42 out of 100 Canadian adults have low literacy skills.

• 65 of 100 people entering correctional facilities have less than a Grade 8 education or level of literacy skills.

• Men are more likely to have low literacy skills than women.

• A Canadian study showed that prison literacy programs can reduce recidivism by up to 30%, depending on the level of literacy the prisoner achieves. In a U.S. study, getting a college degree in prison reduced recidivism by 100%.

• In 1999, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that police officers cannot assume that the people they communicate with – orally or in writing – have understood the information fully. (more…)