The relationship of literacy and language skills and involvement with the justice system (with Dr. Shameka Stewart)
The Be Podcast Network, an organization of more than four dozen engaging shows dedicated to education, and Reading Is Fundamental are partnering during National Literacy Month to share high-impact conversations about literacy with more than 40 unique episodes featuring conversations about the state of children’s literacy nationwide, best practices for reading instruction and engagement, strategies to foster the joy of reading in school and at home, and much more.
There is a disproportionate number of individuals with communication disorders and reading disabilities involved with the justice system for both children and adults. Past research suggests that more than 40% of incarcerated people have some type of nonpsychiatric disability (Berzofsky et al., 2015; Bixby et al., 2022; Thompson, 2022). Additionally, once youth are involved in the justice system, it becomes more difficult for them to access the education and therapeutic services they need.
Both literacy and language skills will impact someone’s ability to comprehend employee or disciplinary handbooks, to read language in legal documents, fill out job applications, and or explain past events during job interviews, when interacting with school staff or with law enforcement. Many times things are written off as “behavior problems” when the real underlying issue could be tied to language, reading, or writing. That’s why Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan invited Dr. Shameka Stewart to this episode of the De Facto Leaders podcast).
In this conversation, they discuss:
- The relationship between reading challenges and the school-to-confinement pipeline.
- Why “behavior problems” could be related to language processing, reading, or writing challenges.
- When youth become involved with the justice system, how do they get access to special education services (including language therapy)?
- “They should know better”: Why we can’t assume kids comprehend language in the school discipline handbook.
- A case for continuing direct language therapy in high school (and why therapists need support from school leaders in making this happen).