By George Halvorson
For the past several days, I have been writing pieces that say that if we want to reduce the number of people in prison and reduce the number of people who drop out of school because they can't read, we need to help children from birth to three years old exercise their brains.
Why have I believed that need to be true?
The facts are pretty clear about how many people we put in jail in this country. We imprison three or four times as many people than any other western country.
That data can be found in multiple sources -- but a very good one is Walmsley's "
World Prison Population List," produced by the International Centre for Prison Studies.
Another point I have made in these communications is that the people who are behind bars in this country either read poorly or can't read at all. I have stated that 70 percent of our prisons fit that category and that 85 percent of the children in our juvenile justice system either read poorly or can't read at all.
Another point I have made in these communications is that the people who are behind bars in this country either read poorly or can't read at all. I have stated that 70 percent of our prisons fit that category and that 85 percent of the children in our juvenile justice system either read poorly or can't read at all.
That data came from
Literacy Behind Bars -- Results from the National Assessment of Adult Literacy Prison Survey and the U.S. Department of Education.
