PRISON ILLITERACY 2 PER CENT

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30811, 24 July 1965, Page 18

PRISON ILLITERACY 2 PER CENT

About 2 per cent, of the prisoners sent to Paparua Prison since 1963 have not been able to read or write. Four of the prisoners at present serving terms there were found to be illiterate when they started their sentences. A much greater percentage of the prisoners has the reading and writing ability of the average child of 7 or 8. An arithemetic attainment test of prisoners showed the average standard was the equivalent of the average attained by Form II pupils at an intermediate school which took the same test.

The full-time education officer at Paparua Prison, Mr R. W. Bell, said yesterday the percentage of semi-literates among the prisoners was noticeably higher than the percentage at schools he had taught in. ' This is most defintely so, because the greater percentage of prisoners are below average in educational standards. The great majority of the prisoners will have attended school until they were

aged 15, but many of them will have been at special schools o>r training farms for young persons who have broken the law, Mr Bell said.

He said the average number of illiterates was four in 200 prisoners.

“A recent example is a married man, aged over 30, who was convinced that he would never learn to read or write. My biggest problem is to give this type of prisoner a reason for learning—to motivate him. “The prisoner in question has an unusual number of Christian names. He finally accepted the idea that he could learn to write when he was taught to write his full name.

“From there, he got the idea that he would like to write to his wife. His wife wrote back and, recently, this prisoner came to me with a letter and told me, proudly, that he could read every word in it,” Mr Bell said. Mr Bell said it was difficult to say why persons were unable to read or write after attending school until they were 15. There were many variable factors, including a

pupil’s level of ability, his particular problems, home background, size of classes and experience and inexperience —of teachers. “There is a range of abilities in teachers as there is in all other professions. One teacher may well handle a class of 40 and do remedial work within the class; a second teacher may have a class of 20 but not be able to cope with remedial work within the class,” Mr Bell said. He said that there had been a full-time education officer at Paparua Prison since 1960, employed by the Prisons Department. Before then, there had been part-time education officers.

Several trades, art and hobbies are taught to prisoners as part of the education extension classes of the Riccarton High SchooL Prisoners can also take examinations such as School Certificate by correspondence. “The Justice Department is very keen on these educational aids for prisoners and has good ground for justifying extensions to the work.

We have to convince the Education Department, who pays the outside teachers, of this need for expanding the work,” Mr Bell said.

He said that every effort was made to assist prisoners in their education and vocational training after their release. “The side effects of education are much more important than the knowledge gained. The attainment of an aim helps the prisoner get confidence in himself. It gives him a picture of himself, and boosts his morale. “Education, of course, is only one of the methods we use to give a prisoner confidence in himself. There is psychology, group counselling and other means.

“None of the prisoners is compelled to take an interest in the courses or hobbies we have for them. It can sometimes take as long as three or four months to get a prisoner to a stage where he wants to do something. Normally, once they start they show interest and enthusiasm,” said-Mr Bell.