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Inmate Literacy Assessment Study at the Lake County Indiana Jail

NCJ Number
231323
Journal
Journal of Correctional Education Volume: 61 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2010 Pages: 99-113
Author(s)
Jeanette C. Shutay Ph.D.; David Plebanski Ph.D.; Michael McCafferty
Date Published
June 2010
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study explored the quality of education received by a sample of inmates and examined whether higher educational attainment resulted in greater levels of literacy for the inmates.
Abstract
This study utilized a sample of 159 inmates from a small Northwest Indiana correctional facility to examine the educational attainment and literacy proficiency of the inmates. The 3rd edition of the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT-3) was used to assess the spelling, reading and arithmetic achievement of the inmates. Overall the results of this study indicate that educational attainment and literacy proficiency was low for the inmate sample, on average. Also, no major differences were found with regard to educational attainment or literacy as a function of race or gender. However, the relationship between educational attainment and literacy proficiency was very different based on gender. Males yielded correlations that were moderate in strength and above while females yielded correlations that were negligible to non-existent. The results of the study and the corresponding implications and limitations are discussed. References, figures, and tables (Published Abstract)

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