News Releases

LITERACY: AN ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT OF OFFENDER POST RELEASE SUCCESS

Ottawa, September 4, 2003 - International Literacy Day is being celebrated world-wide on September 8. The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) is hosting a number of activities to commemorate the day and to highlight the importance of its accredited education programs.

Staff and offenders in CSC institutions across the country are participating in a variety of events such as participating in book drives, reading and writing seminars, and even Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit games.

"International Literacy Day gives us a chance to highlight this important issue, not only internationally, but in a Canadian context," said Federal Solicitor General Wayne Easter. "Improving the literacy skills of federal offenders is an important part of providing them with the tools they need to return to society as productive law-abiding citizens."

Approximately 54% of inmates entering CSC institutions test at lower than Grade 10 literacy levels and approximately 79% do not have a High School Diploma. Research has established that education is an important way to help offenders successfully prepare for their safe return to the community. The inability to read and write may not be a specific cause of criminal behaviour, but it does make daily life difficult, it can make correctional programming less productive, and it limits employment options upon release.

CSC's education programs promote literacy and other basic skills to help offenders obtain or upgrade employment skills. Education is a central part of the correctional plans of many offenders with the standard set at obtaining Grade 12 - or high school completion. Courses are available in various formats, including day and evening courses, tutoring and correspondence.

"For the Correctional Service to contribute significantly to the protection of society in the long run, it must continue to provide offenders with the basic skills required to face every day life. Clearly, reading and writing are the most basic and necessary skills," said Commissioner of Corrections Lucie McClung.

Research by CSC in the early 1990s and in 1997-98 shows that offenders who completed Adult Basic Education - Grade 10 had a 21.3% reduction in re-admissions.

CSC provides accredited educational programs for offenders and it also partners with community organizations in giving back to the community initiatives with respect to literacy programs.

Some examples of literacy projects are:

	A project called Turning a New Page in the Atlantic region is a special partnership between Westmorland Institution and Scholastic Books Canada which began in July 2000. Scholastic provides inmates with various books so they can practice reading. Once offenders are familiar with the texts, they read the books aloud onto audio tapes. The tapes and many copies of the books are then made available to schools to encourage reading among their students.
	Similarly a Books-on-Tape project with Scholastic Books Canada began about two years ago at the Regional Treatment Centre in the Ontario region. It provides a literacy challenge for offenders at all levels of basic adult English. Part of the project involves offenders reading children's books onto audio tapes which are then made available to children visiting parents who are incarcerated. Volunteer tutors from the Queen's University Students for Literacy project work on an individual basis with inmates, helping them to read aloud. This ensures the quality of the tapes is maintained. Offenders have an opportunity to read literature at their level and they are able to give back to the community by enriching the lives of children who visit a parent in prison. This is an important part of the rehabilitation process.
	Inmates at Rockwood Institution in the Prairie region have helped a volunteer organization that administers a program called Quality Classrooms, which is based in Winnipeg. This organization promotes literacy by giving children the opportunity to read and own books. Inmates sorted through new and used books received by the organization according to condition, quality, age appropriateness, and other categories. Once that was finished, the books were boxed, labeled and sent to various schools, libraries, and community centres.
	The Key to Family Literacy Program is offered at two CSC Women's facilities, Joliette Institution in the Quebec Region and Nova Institution in the Atlantic region. The program is women-centred, which means that the content reflects the social realities of women and responds to their individual needs. It consists of several phases including teaching women to read to their children (using recordings). The material is related to basic living skills (children's books). These give rise to parenting issues and discussions, and the books can be sent to their children if deemed appropriate. The program assists women in their reintegration with their family.
	Education Departments in all institutional schools in the Pacific Region are holding a region-wide Literacy Contest.

For further information, please contact the following: