In 1992, over 70 percent of prisoners were found to read and compute at the lowest levels of literacy; this cohort lacked the ability to fully read and understand the types of documents encountered in everyday life, such as job applications, credit applications, and health forms, and to perform quantitative tasks that involve sequential operations and require setting up a problem. ^[1]   The National Adult Literacy Survey categorized respondents into five literacy levels (with Level 1 as the lowest and Level 5 as the highest level of literacy) for both document literacy (ability to write) and quantitative literacy (ability to compute), and found that illiteracy on both scales was significantly more pervasive among those whoe were incarcerated than among those in the general population. (See tables, "Document Literacy Rates Among Prisoners and the General Population, 1992" and "Quantitative Literacy Rates Among Prisoners and the General Population, 1992," below.)

Given these statistical deficits, some assessment of functional skills should be conducted with each inmate to identify possible gaps or barriers to success in the community. Functional skills include essential academic abilities (such as reading, writing, and computation) and personal abilities (such as problem-solving or the ability to work as a part of a team) that enable a person to succeed in the workplace. This assessment should not rely solely on self-disclosure, as individuals may be reluctant to reveal some information about skill gaps.

Numerous tools are available and in use in the community which can gauge the skills and literacy levels of people in prison or jail. Notably, the absence of functional skills or literacy may constrain the effectiveness of certain types of assessment instruments, a factor which should be considered and integrated into the assessment process and, ultimately programming decisions. Similarly, where these assessments reveal strengths that could be instrumental to successful integration into the community, intake staff or community-based partners should ensure that programming builds on the individual's assets in these areas.

Example: Employment and Employability Program, Correction Services of Canada

In the Oregon Department of Corrections, psychometricians administer educational tests in a group setting to determine reading and math levels. Individuals that score low on these tests are referred for individual testing and remedial education. Inmates that achieve a minimum reading score continue with further group assessment activities. They are also administered a computer-scored test that is a nationally-recognized instrument for identifying mental health needs, and may be referred to further treatment, accordingly.

The Employment and Employability Program of the Correctional Services of Canada (CorCan) assesses for basic skills, such as teamwork, in order to determine which prisoners to place in skills training prior to including them in employment programs.

Example: Intake Center, Oregon Department of Corrections

In the Oregon Department of Corrections, psychometricians administer educational tests in a group setting to determine reading and math levels. Individuals that score low on these tests are referred for individual testing and remedial education. Inmates that achieve a minimum reading score continue with further group assessment activities. They are also administered a computer-scored test that is a nationally recognized instrument for identifying mental health needs, and may be referred to further treatment, accordingly.