Comparing the general population and prisoners

[andrewducker]

Particularly the "suffers from two or more mental disorders", "no qualifications" and numeracy/literacy rows.

From.

Comments

[anton-p-nym.livejournal.com]

It's not surprising to me that the prison population is so much more likely to have had these disadvantages... in particular, the drug use figure is unremarkable given the "war on drugs" on-going that skews the figures even further. People with comfortable lives don't prey upon each other, save for the pathological cases that make the big headlines because of their rarity.

What I find most dismaying is that of the general population, 23% can't read at a grade 5 level; I had no idea the figure was that high.

-- Steve had a snarky comment to make about keeping Rupert Murdoch rich, but has decided to drop it. This isn't funny.

[channelpenguin.livejournal.com]

yeah that 23% suprised me too.

[channelpenguin.livejournal.com]

*surprised* me even :-)

[rhythmaning.livejournal.com]

That's really interesting data.

It is also raises some serious issues about our health and education policies.

Worse, it makes the feeble efforts to provide education and training in prison woeful.

(I presume the data are for England rather than the whole of the UK - though I am trying to check in the PRT pdf.)

And the pedant in me (who has been overpowering recently) reckons that the proportion of the general population that is unemployed before imprisonment should actually be zero...

[endless-psych.livejournal.com]

The suffers from two or more mental disorders is an interesting one. I'd like to see it expanded but I wouldn't be suprised if incarceration dramatically increases incidences of depression...

[slammerkinbabe.livejournal.com]

"No qualifications" for what?

I am really lucky to have had the family supports etc. that I have had in dealing with my mental illnesses. I could absolutely have ended up homeless and/or in prison otherwise.

[andrewducker]

We have qualifications/exams at 16 (General Certificate of Education or GCSE) and 18 (A levels).

GCSEs used to be O levels (O is for Ordinary, matching the A of Advanced Level). This is where the name of O.W.Ls comes from in Harry Potter :->

[thadrin.livejournal.com]

Do those "general population" figures include those who are actually under the age of 11? if not then those education figures are REALLY scary. 1 in 5 people can barely read? REALLY?

[stillcarl.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't say 11 year olds (with the reading levels of 11 year-olds...) can barely read. At that level they're probably good enough to improve their reading without help from teachers.