Young males in custody in local rehabilitation facilities are improving their reading skills through an intensive educational program, according to an analysis released by SANDAG.

Juvenile offenders who have received about seven weeks of intensive educational assistance from specially trained staff are showing significant improvements in their reading abilities and comprehension. Results show 90 percent of participants report improvement in their reading and vocabulary, and that they would recommend the program to other students. As one juvenile student explained, “I want to finish school now and get a job. I care about my future now.”

As part of the educational program known as Lindamood-Bell Center in a School (CIS), young males being held in rehabilitation camps for juvenile offenders in Campo and Alpine are screened for literacy problems. Eligible students receive intensive supplemental instruction in reading, spelling, critical thinking, and language comprehension.

National statistics show that this problem is not isolated to San Diego County. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 85 percent of all juvenile offenders have reading problems. In the adult population, 70 percent of prison inmates are functionally illiterate.

Price Charities, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, San Diego Administrative Office of the Courts, the Price-Weingardt Foundation, the William Bradley Foundation, Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes, and the California Endowment are helping to fund the program.

Staff from the SANDAG Criminal Justice Research Division is conducting an ongoing evaluation to determine if the program was implemented as planned and reaching established goals.

Project Manager: Dr. Cynthia Burke
(619) 595-5361