Hurry, Jane; Brazier, Laura; Wilson, Anita; (2008) Improving the Literacy and Numeracy of Young Offenders. In: Reder, Stephen and Bynner, John, (eds.) Tracking Adult Literacy and Numeracy Skills: Findings from Longitudinal Research. (pp. 261-280). Routledge: Abingdon, UK.

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Abstract

Young people in the criminal justice system tend to have lower than average attainment in literacy and numeracy, a fi nding consistently reported internationally (Andrews, 1995; Farrington, 1996; Hawkins, Herrenkohl, Farrington, Brewer, Catalano, Harachi, & Cothern, 2000; Rutter, Giller, & Hagell, 1998). Recent surveys in the United Kingdom fi nd that in the custodial setting, 51 percent of young offenders were below Level 1 in literacy and 52 percent in numeracy (ECOTEC, 2001). For young offenders supervised in the community, 57 percent were below Level 1 in literacy and 63 percent in numeracy (Hurry, Brazier, & Moriarty, 2005). Longitudinal studies have documented the negative pathways associated with weak basic skills. In particular, it makes it more diffi cult to fi nd consistent employment and heightens the chances of becoming socially marginalized (Bynner, 2004; Parsons & Bynner, 1999). Such marginalization is likely to be a decisive factor in whether or not these young people desist from crime in adulthood. Sampson and Laub (1993), on the importance of social bonds, wrote “the stronger the adult ties to work and family, the less crime and deviance among [former] delinquents.” On the basis of longitudinal data, Schoon (2003) emphasizes the importance of the transitional period around the age of sixteen, when important decisions about future careers are made.

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