Supplementary memorandum submitted by HMP Parc
Response
to Q162 from Mark Williams MP in the oral evidence session on 6 November
2006
Q162 Mark Williams: How
profound would you estimate the problems of basic literacy and numeracy within
your prison and more generally - those type of prisoners? At what basic levels are they functioning?
Welsh
population:
In 2004 the Basic
Skills agency commissioned BMRB to undertake a survey of the literacy and
numeracy skills of adults aged 16 to 65 in Wales. Survey findings are based on
the Basic Skills Agency's Initial Assessment, undertaken by 2,554 adults.
Here summarises data
from these tests:
|
|
Literacy
|
Numeracy
|
|
Entry
level 1
|
4%
|
7%
|
|
Entry
level 2
|
3%
|
20%
|
|
Entry
level 3
|
18%
|
26%
|
|
Level
1
|
37%
|
25%
|
|
Level
2
|
38%
|
22%
|
HMP/YOI Parc
population:
All new
receptions/arrivals at HMP Parc are assessed for their literacy and numeracy
skills with the same Basic Skills Agency Initial Assessment as above. A 6-month
snapshot's (from March to August 2006) results are summarised as follows.
Findings are based
on literacy and numeracy tests undertaken by 1420 adults and young offender
prisoners.
|
|
Literacy
|
Numeracy
|
|
Entry
level 1
|
20%
|
16%
|
|
Entry
level 2
|
18%
|
20%
|
|
Entry
level 3
|
39%
|
38%
|
|
Level
1
|
23%
|
26%
|
|
Level
2
|
(Not tested)
|
(Not tested)
|
What these levels
mean:
|
Level
|
Ability
|
|
Below
Entry
|
· Skills are extremely
poor, possibly illiterate/innumerate.
· Unable to cope with basic
literacy/numeracy tasks.
|
|
Entry
1
|
· Skills are very poor,
possibly illiterate/innumerate.
· May have limited
strategies for coping with basic literacy/numeracy tasks.
|
|
Entry
2
|
· Skills are poor, but will
have some knowledge.
· Will have strategies for
coping with basic literacy tasks
|
|
Entry
3
|
· Skills are acceptable,
but fall slightly below standard.
· Will be able to cope with
basic literacy tasks.
|
|
Level
1
|
· Skills are at the
standard level.
· Will be able to cope with
all literacy tasks
|
· Both surveys indicate that
the Basic Skills levels of the prison population are noticeably lower to that
of the general Welsh population.
· From HMP/YOI Parc's survey's
data, the highest percentages of prisoners fall into the "Entry 3" literacy and
Numeracy level.
November 2006
