The New York City Council voted overwhelmingly today to pass legislation from Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams to require dyslexia screenings for people incarcerated in city jails. The measure will help to expand educational and health services, improve programming inside city jails, and reduce recidivism upon release.
Identifying and providing services to incarcerated individuals with dyslexia is a critical effort. The learning disability affects about 15% of people nationwide, but seen at dramatically higher rates in jails and prisons, and is thought to be a contributing factor to both initial contact with the criminal justice system and recidivism rates.
Intro 349-A will require the Department of Education to screen all incarcerated people who do not have a high school diploma or its equivalent for dyslexia within 72 hours of intake, beginning with those under the age of 22 before expanding to all incarcerated people. They will then be required to offer evidence-based programs to treat identified individuals.
"Rikers remains in crisis, and the foundations on which the system was built were not designed to truly support the needs or well-being of people on the inside. Dyslexia is already under-discussed- and likely under-diagnosed- in our city, and evidence suggests that this problem is exponentially worse among incarcerated people. By screening and servicing affected individuals, we can help correct an educational services gap that should have been addressed long ago, providing new opportunities for people on the inside and helping to prevent them from re-entering the criminal justice system in the future," said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams. "Identifying and addressing dyslexia and illiteracy through trained educators will make time while incarcerated more positive, and employment after incarceration more accessible. If we had done a better job as a city of meeting this need early in New Yorkers' education, we may have prevented many people from contact with the system in the first place. I thank the Speaker and my colleagues on the Council for voting to enact this key legislation."
Dyslexia is a major contributing factor to illiteracy, which in turn is often correlated to contact with the criminal justice system. While studies vary, data has shown that as many as one third to half of incarcerated people in some prisons may struggle with dyslexia. As many as 80% may have difficulty with reading comprehension.
The federal First Step Act of 2018 requires dyslexia screening in federal prisons, and this legislation would not only extend that to municipal jails but provide programming to address this critical need. Addressing dyslexia while incarcerated would help New Yorkers to secure employment upon their release, a cause which the Public Advocate has also advanced through the Fair Chance Act and its expansion. A recent study found that incarcerated people who took part in education programs were 43 percent less likely to commit crimes following their time incarcerated.
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