P age A 4
A prii 10, 1 9 9 6 • T he P ortland O bserver
E d u c a tio n
Nation’s Prison Population Growing, But Not Educationally
A s prison education programs are
being cut, a disturbing new study on
the education and literacy o f Am eri­
ca’s prisoners shows that one-third
are likely to fail at simple tasks such
as using a map, and two-thirds would
have difficulty writing a letter to ex­
plain a billingerror, threatening their
ability to function in society, accord­
ing to Educational Testing Service.
Captive Students: Education and
Training in Am erica's Prisons is the
first comprehensive study that looks
at the literacy skills o f persons incar­
cerated in state and federal prisons,
the training and education programs
offered to such inmates and the im­
pact o f these efforts on recidivism.
"Most o f the people in Am erica's
prisons w ill eventually be paroled
yet two-thirds don’t have the literacy
skills needed to function in society,’
explained Nancy Cole, president of
E T S . "W hile studies show that train­
ing and education in prisons lead to
increased post-release success in the
job market, at least half o f all state
correctional institutions have cut their
inmate education programs during
the last five years. It is counterpro­
ductive to crime prevention to have
people released from prison who are
lacking in the most fundamental skills
for employment and citizenship.”
“Our study shows that a large pro­
portion ofthe prisoner populations is
weak in using printed materials o f
the kind encountered in workplaces
and daily life,” explained co-author
Paul Barton, director o f E T S ’s Poli-
A pril
Garden hints from your OSU Extension Agent
• Early April: fertilize lawn, let spring rains carry the fertilizer into the soil.
• II lawns are becoming thin and sickly, consider oversccding with a mixture of
perennial ryegrass and fine fescue.
• Dogwood trees, as they begin new growth, need protection against anthracnose
diseases Apply daconil or a copper fungicide.
• Help your youngsters start a garden this year with sunflowers, carrots, green beans,
pumpkins, sweet com, and peas.
• Bait for slugs, clean up hiding places for slugs, sowbugs, and millipedes.
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• Prune and shape spring blooming shrubs and trees after blossoms fade.
• Control rose diseases such as black spot, mildew Remove infected leaves. Prune
ornamental plantings for air circulation and to help prevent fungus diseases
• Prepare garden soil for spring planting. Incorporate organic materials and other
amendments as needs are shown by soil analysis.
• Early broccoli variety for western Oregon: Green Comet
• Use floating row covers to keep insects such as cabbage maggot adult flies and
carrot rust flies away from susceptible crops, or treat soil with recommended
pesticides according to label directions to control maggot when planting
cabbage family, onions, and carrots.
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problem.
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• Check lawns for presence of crane fly larvae, and treat with Sevin or Dursban
• Plant these vegetables:
Oregon coast: beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, slicing
cucumbers, endive, leeks, lettuce, onion sets, peas, potatoes.
Western valleys, Portland, Roseburg, Medford: broccoli, Brussels sprouts,
cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, chives, endive, leeks, lettuce, peas,
radishes, rhubarb, rutabagas, spinach, turnips.
Central Oregon and higher elevations of eastern Oregon (late April): peas,
radishes, lettuce, spinach, turnips.
Columbia and Snake River valleys, Ontario: snap and lima beans, beets,
broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, chives, sweet
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cy Information Center. "One-third o f
prisoners at Level 1 (the lowest on a
five-point scale) were unlikely to be
able to do tasks such as finding an
intersection on a map, fillin g out an
application for a Social Security card,
or calculating the cost o f a purchase
Another third at Level 2 were unlike­
ly to be able to write a letter explain­
ing a billing error or figure out miles
per gallon using information from a
mileage record chart.”
Other findings include:
• Only 4 to 7 percent attained the
two highest literacy levels on the
scales.
• One-third o f all B lack men in
their 20s are under the supervision o f
the criminal justice system on any
given day. Five years ago that figure
was one-quarter.
• While corrections spending has
grown dramatically at the state level,
education budgets have not. Califor­
nia and Florida w ill each spend $2
billion for new prisons in the next
few years.
• The most common finding o f 20
years o f research is that inmates ex­
posed to educat ion programs are more
likely to be employed and less likely
to end up back in prison than nonpar­
ticipant.
• Among states who do offer edu­
cation programs, New Yo rk and T e x­
as spent the most for education ($50
and $40.7 m illion, respectively).
Montana, Alaska and W isconsin
spent the leas, (less than $500,000).
The findings on literacy were
drawn from the National Adult Liter­
acy Survey and were based on in-
person interviews with 27,000 re­
spondents in prisons and homes
across the country and gauged the
prose, document and quantitative lit­
eracy o f prisoners.
“The crime rate has basically been
flat over the last 20 years or so, but
incarcerations are up," explained co­
author Richard Coley. “A s prison
education approaches have waxed
and waned, the flow into the prison
system has changed from a steadily
W om en’s D ay In May At P C C
Portland Com m unity C ollege
will host the first Women’s Day at
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three campuses.
The event is in fo rm atio n al
co lle g e fa ir for the benefit o f
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interested women. C h ild care
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for ch ild ren from I 1/2 to 8
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Women's Day events w ill take
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the Sylvania Campus, 12000 S .W .
49th Ave.; the Rock Creek Cam ­
pus, 17705 N. W. Springville Rd.;
Phillips Kitchen &
Super Girl Car Wash
Located at 3410 N. William
WHOLE SLABS
Pork............................$ 1 5 .0 0
Beef................................ $ 1 2 .0 0
DINNERS
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Fish f catfish or red snapped., ....$6 .0 0
ALL DINNERS INCLUDE CHOICE OF:
Potatoes. Red Beans. Rice. Greens or Black-Eyed Peas
SANDWICHES
Rib. Pork. Roast Beef. Fish. Ham - Includes: Tater Tots or Chips - $5.00
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3 Chicken Wings..... $ 1 .0 0
Hot or Mild Links....... $ 2 .5 0
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DRINKS
P.O . B o x 69626
Portland, Oregon 97201
w <•«//.• 1-503-282-8040
P op .................................. $ .6 5
Hot Chocolate...............$ .5 0
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T ea.......................................$ .5 0
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DESSERT
Potato Pie....................$ 1.00
Peach Cobbler............ $ 1.00
Whole Pie.........................$ 7 .0 0
Whole Cobbler................ $ 9 .0 0
Call Ahead
Food Will Be Ready
281-7957
Gift pack
OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION SERVICE
OPENED MARCH 1.1996
BAR-B-QUE DINNER
and the Cascade Campus, 705 N
Killingsw orth St.
P C C instructors w ill in tro ­
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duct m in i-cla sse s on to p ics like
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Women who attend w ill be able
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Center. Send request to E T S Policy
lnform ationCenter(04-R), Rosedale
Road, Princeton, N J . 08541-0001
For additional information, call 609-
734-5694 or contact via e-mail at
pic@ ets.org.
E T S is the world’s largest private
educational measurement institution
and a leader in educational research.
It develops and administers achieve­
ment, occupational and admission
tests, such as the S A T for the College
Board, for clients in education, gov­
ernment and business. E T S has six
regional offices and annually admin­
isters 9 million exams worldwide.
rising stream to a torrent overflow­
ing the banks o f prison capacity.
“Now, cuts in education programs
are leaving many prisoners unable to
learn skills that would help them lead
normal lives. In fact 37 states said
there was a waiting I is, in their systems
for services. With so many of our
young adults incarcerated, and such a
large proportion o f minority youth, are
we comfortable with their overall low
levels o f literacy?” Captive Students:
Education and Training in America’s
Prisons is available for $9.50 prepaid.
Make your check or money order
payable to E T S Policy Information
t
189
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