Free Essay On Fact Or Fiction Statement

The statement that “Prison capacity is determined based on the literacy of elementary school students” is an idea that some people agree seems to make sense, but others have determined that this is simply not true. “The statement in all of its variations appears to be an urban myth, corrections officials say” (Graves) To research this possibility, Bill Graves, a writer for The Oregonian, spoke with several people regarding this issue. Terry Thornton, a Rehabilitation spokeswomen for the California Department of Corrections, informed him that this statement is false; Graves also received responses from half of the states in the country telling him that they do not do this (Hudson). Hearing it from the people in these departments can help illustrate the falseness of the literacy statements.
Rather than using third-grade reading scores, other numbers were reviewed to estimate the possible number of prison beds necessary for the future. The Oregon Department of Corrections revealed that age was used, with the number of 18-to-28 year old men, along with arrest rates (Graves). In addition, there are places in which large numbers of variables are looked at. For example, when discussing the number of prison beds, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation uses approximately 100 factors (Graves).
Because such a huge number of elements are used in these cases, perhaps reading comprehension could be included. “So while the idea that prison planners are reading your children’s test scores is false, maybe it shouldn’t be” (Hudson). These reading comprehension scores could help show education levels, which can be correlated with poverty levels and crime rates. In addition to reading scores, it might be useful to be broader when looking at education. Math knowledge might be included into the system, as well.

Works Cited

Graves, B. (2010). Prisons Don’t Use Reading Scores to Predict Future Inmate Populations.
The Oregonian. Retrieved from:
http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2010/03/prisons_dont_use_reading_
score.html
Hudson, J. (2012). An Urban Myth That Should be True. The Atlantic. Retrieved from:
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/07/an-urban-myth-that-should-be-
true/259329/