The levels of illiteracy in prisons

are high, very high... and this morning our Chief Justice has finally delivered a very public dressing down to those in Correctional Services who fail to acknowledge this. There is not much point in sending a letter to someone who can neither read nor write - and who may even have a family in  much the same position.

The Chief Justice was commenting on the situation of a man with a history of mild offending who is apparently sufficiently cognitively impaired that he simply does not understand what is expected of him. That makes the situation even more serious.

I have no doubts at all that there are plenty of inmates who would be prepared to take advantage of their limited literacy levels. I also have no doubt that they have little, if any, interest in learning to read and write. I am sure many of them have used the lack of those skills to their advantage in court. It's the way the system works.

But  if someone does have a known brain injury, a known cognitive impairment, and a lack of ability to read then that should be in their file and it is an issue which should be addressed. There should, at very least, be a designated person in the community responsible for seeing they are told the contents of any official correspondence.

I do occasionally get asked to help people who have "forgotten their glasses" and I know the world can be a very confusing and dangerous place for them. They are highly vulnerable. They will do things because they are told to do things by people they trust but whom they should not trust. They will do things because, like most people, they crave friendship. They want to feel wanted - and even important. They often genuinely don't understand the implications or the possible consequences of what they are doing. These are people who can end up in debt, homeless, without a job - and more. I knew one man who, unable to read or write, was shown what looked like an official form. He was told he had to open the gates of his work place at a certain time "for a delivery". Goods were stolen. He was  held to be accountable. It was only when a fellow employee testified that this man could not read that he did not serve a prison sentence - but he had still lost his job. 

All too often we think of not being able to read or write as something shameful. But is it really? I can't read or write  Korean or Thai or many other languages. I only know a few Chinese characters - and I read them in their English meaning. I have no idea how they sound in Chinese.  For the most part anything written in those languages is no more than meaningless squiggles on a page. But, I am one of the lucky ones because I have tools at my disposal that could help me with almost anything. 

The other day I used one of the few Swahili words I know  - to thank someone - but I can't hold a conversation in that language. I can't hold a verbal conversation in anything other than English. I was never taught. All I know about other languages I have found out for myself after leaving school. None of that makes me illiterate but it tells me how little I know. 

I try to remind myself of this when faced with the person who has "lost their glasses". They may well know the difference between right and wrong but it really isn't as simple as that. I can understand too if they want to lash out at the world sometimes - even if I don't condone it.  

I was in the embarrassing position of having to get someone to fill out a form for me the other day -because the spaces on the form required fine motor skills I do not possess. I am sure the girl who was assigned to help me at first thought I could not read. It was an issue I sorted out very quickly but I was acutely aware for a moment that this must be the sort of situation an illiterate person faces over and over again.

If someone has a "glasses" issue please be patient. Give them some help. It might save someone from making a serious error of judgment.