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RIF-Reading Is Fundamental. Remember those commercials?
Anyway why do you think so many of these inmates grow up with reading problems? Improving reading skills seems to be good for crime reduction.
Quote:
Roughly two-thirds of California's 173,000 inmates read below a ninth-grade level, according to corrections department figures, and more than half read below a seventh-grade level, making them functionally illiterate, unable to read and follow complex written directions. A total of 21 percent read below a third-grade level.
Research has shown that arming inmates with a solid education is one of the surest ways of reducing the rate at which they end up back behind bars after being released.
Watching this video actually got me thinking about this. Listen to what this guy says at 2:34 of the clip. Makes me wonder how many other guys in his area are like him.
Warning: This is some hood stuff. Queensbridge projects NYC
Reading skills are among the most important tools for enabling a street criminal to make the successful transition to becoming a white collar criminal,
and next to having a degree in "fuzzy math", it is one of the most essential qualifications for the would-be, Wall St. trader or corporate CEO.
The reason is not because uneducated people commit crimes. It is because uneducated people fail to cover up the clues, and get caught, and then have no resources to hire defense attorneys, so they get convicted. Prison is where we send our uneducated, but we usually wait until we catch them doing something we can convict them of.
Even if educated people do get convicted of crimes, they are much more often plea-bargained out, put on probation, paroled, or at least put on work release, because as wage earners, they are deemed "useful to society" regardless of their criminality.
In other words, they do not become criminals because they have low education, they get convicted and sent to prison because they have low education, while an educated person who committed the same crime would, often, not be sent to prison, or even suspected of a crime in the first place. Every young person whose education opportunity is denied, discouraged, or not suitably nurtured, is being sentenced to prison while still a child.
Criminal justice is a slippery slope. A young man who is too poorly educated to stay our of minor misdemeanors, will have prosecutors and cops ganging up on him for the rest of his life, no matter how hard he tries to stay out of trouble.
Hundreds of years from now, when historians are summarizing our times, our American justice and penal system will be seen as the most shameful disgrace in American history. Probably even worse than slavery and the Indian land grabs. In no other country in the history of the world (except maybe Dickensian England) is a person more likely to be slammed into a brutal and undignified cell on the slightest of pretexts, for merely being ignorant or foolish. But people circulating in educated society, wouldn't know anything about that, would they? That's all something that happens to somebody else.
The reason is not because uneducated people commit crimes. It is because uneducated people fail to cover up the clues, and get caught, and then have no resources to hire defense attorneys, so they get convicted. Prison is where we send our uneducated, but we usually wait until we catch them doing something we can convict them of.
Even if educated people do get convicted of crimes, they are much more often plea-bargained out, put on probation, paroled, or at least put on work release, because as wage earners, they are deemed "useful to society" regardless of their criminality.
In other words, they do not become criminals because they have low education, they get convicted and sent to prison because they have low education, while an educated person who committed the same crime would, often, not be sent to prison, or even suspected of a crime in the first place. Every young person whose education opportunity is denied, discouraged, or not suitably nurtured, is being sentenced to prison while still a child.
Criminal justice is a slippery slope. A young man who is too poorly educated to stay our of minor misdemeanors, will have prosecutors and cops ganging up on him for the rest of his life, no matter how hard he tries to stay out of trouble.
Hundreds of years from now, when historians are summarizing our times, our American justice and penal system will be seen as the most shameful disgrace in American history. Probably even worse than slavery and the Indian land grabs. In no other country in the history of the world (except maybe Dickensian England) is a person more likely to be slammed into a brutal and undignified cell on the slightest of pretexts, for merely being ignorant or foolish. But people circulating in educated society, wouldn't know anything about that, would they? That's all something that happens to somebody else.
Especially the part in bold. Well said. What's more, the future historians will see our educational system as being nearly as disgraceful, which under the pretext of leaving no child behind, begins a race to the top which presupposes that all but the winners will be left behind. It's doublethink to believe otherwise.
I actually taught some of the worst criminals in the state in a maximum security prison in Massachusetts for a year. Very smart bunch of guys. First class session one distracted me with a question while the others stole all my classroom supplies (so they could trade the pencils and paper for cigarettes). Only time I've ever been robbed by professionals; I was impressed by their entrepreneurial spirit.
I actually taught some of the worst criminals in the state in a maximum security prison in Massachusetts for a year. Very smart bunch of guys. First class session one distracted me with a question while the others stole all my classroom supplies (so they could trade the pencils and paper for cigarettes). Only time I've ever been robbed by professionals; I was impressed by their entrepreneurial spirit.
Just because they have a low reading level doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't capable of some pretty clever "critical thinking skills."
Somehow, I don't think that standardized testing has evolved to the point where this kind of "intelligence" can be quantified...just sayin...
Just because they have a low reading level doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't capable of some pretty clever "critical thinking skills."
In other words, if they had been differently motivated, they could have become icons of commerce and industry instead of felons. (Not implying that there is that much of a moral difference.)
Which illustrates the importance of building into our educational framework the concept of encouragement and outreach, and not simply uniform testing and failing, and discarding those who don't fit into our preconceived notion of "promising student".
The reason is not because uneducated people commit crimes. It is because uneducated people fail to cover up the clues, and get caught, and then have no resources to hire defense attorneys, so they get convicted....
I think we should all acknowledge that anyone can commit crimes regardless of educational background. The difference seems to come down to the frequency and types of crimes committed as it is related to people's educational background. The bulk of the people in prison are low income people who are in there for street crimes which are largely committed by under educated people. If these people's educational and job skill levels are low then many may feel the need to resort to street crimes to get by because they lack options to make money legally. People who are well educated will have better options for making legal money and if they do commit crimes it will probably be the white collar type crimes.
In other words, if they had been differently motivated, they could have become icons of commerce and industry instead of felons. (Not implying that there is that much of a moral difference.)
Which illustrates the importance of building into our educational framework the concept of encouragement and outreach, and not simply uniform testing and failing, and discarding those who don't fit into our preconceived notion of "promising student".
Well, I don't know about that. Entirely possible of course; however, there will always be that "crazy like a fox" element in every corner of our society.
I agree in the importance of building framework, but I also believe in living in reality and working with what you've got.
Sometimes I truly believe that people (however well-meaning) think too much. I've come to totally disagree with uniform testing over the recent years. I know too many kids who either don't do well with tests, but are very keen at problem solving and too many others who are quick to figure out which bubble to fill in, yet can't grasp the concept of tying their own shoe.
There really is no simple solution IMO.
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Just because they have a low reading level doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't capable of some pretty clever "critical thinking skills."
