Literacy and crime relationships

This document is part of Stories from the Field, a research project designed to identify the principles and practices that best support literacy learning and teaching.

This fact sheet is one of a series prepared by the Canadian Literacy and Learning Network (CLLN) to address a variety of literacy-related topics.

The Calgary Learning Centre is a not-for-profit agency that offers programs and services in the areas of literacy and learning disabilities. The Calgary Youth Justice Society is an organization that supports youth at risk and helps young people in conflict with the law get back on track.

This document was prepared to mark the 30th anniversary of the Yamaska Literacy Council (YLC), which serves English-speaking adults in the western part of Quebec’s Eastern Townships. The organization was established initially as the Townshippers Reading Council and was one of the founding members of Literacy Volunteers of Quebec.

This five-minute video is one of a series prepared by the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL), featuring adult learners explaining how improving their literacy skills changed their lives.

The subject of this video is a 44-year-old man who grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan and, from the beginning, struggled academically in his small rural school. He dropped out of school and eventually ended up in jail.

This document, prepared by the John Howard Society, provides a brief overview of the relationship between crime, employment and employment services. It cites a study showing that 75 per cent of those admitted to federal prisons had experienced at least some difficulty with getting or maintaining employment. As well, it notes that inmates are less likely than the general population to have completed high school.

This resource manual is a publication by the Literacy and Policing Project of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP), Ottawa, and its Crime Prevention Committee. It provides an overview of the literacy problem in Canada, the impact of low literacy on communities, crime and the justice system and how to recognize the signals of low literacy and act on them. The legalities relating to literacy are also described.

In the winter of 1999, Jane Boulton, the Program Manager of Smithers Literacy Services had a burning question, "Why don't inmates access my program on return to the community? I know they are out there and have a need for literacy services, but where are they?" In conversations with other literacy practitioners in the region, Jane found she was not alone in this conundrum.

This book is a resource for literacy workers. One of its focus is on the challenges of people having limited literacy skills when they attempt to access counselling services. It also includes information for workers who may be working with victims of abuse and violence.

In 1998, a program was undertaken by the Edmonton John Howard Society and the Elizabeth Fry Society of Edmonton, with the collaborative support of numerous community-based agencies and organizations. This program was especially designed for women who were in, or at risk of being in, conflict with the law.