For decades, we’ve heard about the “school-to-prison pipeline” – how disciplinary policies and educational inequities funnel students from classrooms to correctional facilities. But this framing misses a critical link in the chain: literacy.

Beyond “School-to-Prison”: Understanding the Real Pipeline

The data tells a sobering story: 70% of America’s adult incarcerated population is functionally illiterate. Among juveniles who interface with the court system, that number jumps to 85%. These aren’t just statistics – they reveal a devastating pattern that begins with reading failure and too often ends with incarceration.

This is why I think the term “illiteracy-to-incarceration pipeline” is accurate. This reframing isn’t just semantic – it pinpoints the fundamental issue and guides us toward solutions that can truly break the cycle.

Madison’s Missing Opportunity

Here in Madison, the statistics are particularly alarming. Despite our reputation as a progressive community with well-funded schools, 91% of Black fourth graders are reading below grade level, with only 9% demonstrating literacy at or above grade level. When children struggle with reading in these early grades, they risk entering adulthood without the literacy skills necessary for full participation in society.

This isn’t just an academic concern – it directly connects to the stark disparities we see in our justice system. In Dane County, Black minors are 25 times more likely to be incarcerated than White minors, and Black adults are arrested at 8 times the rate of White adults.

Literacy as a Right of Citizenship

Functional literacy goes beyond basic reading – it includes the problem-solving and critical thinking skills essential for participating in our democracy, economy, and society. Without these skills, individuals are effectively denied full citizenship and equal opportunity.

As legal scholars have argued, access to functional literacy should be understood as a substantive right of national citizenship under the 14th Amendment. When we fail to ensure all children can read, we’re not just failing them academically – we’re undermining their fundamental rights.

Breaking the Pipeline: A Five-Step Plan

Addressing this crisis requires decisive action. Here are the recommendations I’ve reviewed with accomplished literacy experts in our community to disrupt the illiteracy-to-incarceration pipeline:

1. Restructure Reading Instruction: Create dedicated reading blocks with small groups based on skill level, ensuring every child receives appropriate instruction.
2. Implement High-Dosage Tutoring: Establish a comprehensive system of trained tutors providing intensive support to struggling readers.
3. Adopt Evidence-Based Programs: Expand successful literacy programs district-wide and ensure they’re implemented with fidelity.
4. Focus on Early Intervention: Identify and support struggling readers in K-2, before they fall behind.
5. Create Transparent Accountability: Establish clear metrics and regular reporting on reading proficiency across demographic groups.

A Moral Imperative

Breaking the illiteracy-to-incarceration pipeline isn’t just an educational priority – it’s a moral imperative. When we know that reading proficiency so strongly predicts future outcomes, failing to address literacy gaps amounts to accepting a system that predetermines which children will thrive and which will struggle.

Every child deserves to read at grade level. Every child deserves the opportunity to participate fully in society. By making reading proficiency Job #1 for our district, we can begin to dismantle the pipeline that has derailed too many lives for too long.

Author’s Edit – 3/15/25

A reader pointed out that the statement about prisons using third-grade reading scores to predict future prison beds was proven false. Upon closer examination of the evidence, I agree, and have removed the original claim about prisons using third-grade reading scores to predict future prison needs. What’s more, the claim doesn’t do much to strengthen the argument.

Do Prisons Use Third-Grade Reading Scores to Predict Future Prison Beds?

The Short Answer:

No, there is no credible evidence that prison systems or for-profit prison companies use third-grade reading scores to predict future prison populations or plan facility construction.

The Research:

1. Original Source Investigation: Despite this claim appearing in speeches, articles, and social media for years, primary documentation of a prison system or company admitting to this practice has never been produced.
2. Official Denials: Multiple state departments of corrections have explicitly denied using such metrics, calling the claim everything from “urban legend” to “completely unfounded.”
3. Fact-Checking Results: PolitiFact, Snopes, and academic researchers have investigated this claim and found no evidence to support it.
4. Likely Origin: The claim appears to be a distortion of legitimate research showing statistical correlations between reading proficiency, high school graduation rates, and incarceration risk.

The Real Connection:

While the direct claim is false, there is a well-documented connection between early literacy and justice system involvement:

1. Students not reading proficiently by third grade are 4 times less likely to graduate high school on time (6 times for low-income students).
2. High school dropouts are significantly more likely to be incarcerated than graduates (some studies suggest up to 63 times more likely).
3. Approximately 70% of incarcerated individuals have low literacy skills.

These correlations are statistical relationships, not direct causal planning mechanisms used by prison systems.

For more on this topic, see the excellent work by Mckenna Kohlenberg – Booked but Can’t Read: “Functional Literacy,” National Citizenship, and the New Face of Dred Scott in the Age of Mass Incarceration.

Booked but Can’t Read: “Functional Literacy,” National Citizenship, and the New Face of Dred Scott in the Age of Mass Incarceration