Youth
Literacy = Reduced Crime Rates
Literacy:
The ability
to understand and employ printed information in daily activities. At
home, at work, and in the community, to achieve one’s goals and to
develop one’s knowledge and potential.”
It is the belief of the creator and supporters of the Adopt A
Library Literacy Program that there is a relationship between youth
illiteracy and crime.
While there is no conclusive
evidence to support this claim, the statistics seem to indicate a strong
relationship between low literacy skills and increased levels of crime
in later years; the higher the level of literacy, the lower the crime
rate.
“Better
to see them in libraries now than in trouble with the law later"
-John Kennedy, founder of the
Adopt A library Literacy Program
A
literate society is more productive, healthier, and globally
competitive. As a developed
nation, we therefore have to ask policy makers and ourselves if it is
more cost effective to invest in literacy initiatives now or attempt to
recoup the immeasurable costs that are associated with higher crime
rates later.
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It is important to emphasize that the
majority of people who come from disadvantaged backgrounds do not
become criminals.
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About
22 percent of adult Canadians over the age of 16 are in the lowest
level of literacy.
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65
percent of Canadians entering prison for the first time cannot
read or write well.
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Low
literacy levels may play a role in criminal behavior.
Individuals with limited literacy skills have fewer opportunities for
training and employment, and fewer options in life.
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Literacy
training can help youth at risk to make more choices about their
future.
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Increased literacy levels can make
children, including those on the fringes, feel like part of their
community.
Source:
The National Literary Secretariat
