Causes Of Illiteracy And Crime

Knowledge is power, and literacy is the key to the intellectual nirvana of accomplishment. To thrive in a country immensely driven by creativity, innovation, and problem solving, one must perfect his or her ability to read and write at the very least. Individuals who lack strong skills for finding, understanding, and evaluating written information cannot easily equip themselves with that knowledge, never mind use it to form and promote their personal values. Contrary to the popular opinion that illiteracy is merely a vagrant’s trait and can be easily reversed, it is not completely true. Although poverty is a leading cause of illiteracy in America, over population, inadequate education facilities, parental influence and learning disabilities …show more content…
In fact, the Department of Justice claims that "the link between academic failure and delinquency, violence, and crime is welded to reading failure” (Crum). Over sixty percent of all prison inmates and eighty-five percent of juveniles who come in contact with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate. Those who struggle with reading and writing have a harder time finding a job, leading them to resort to crime in order to make a living. Behavior is forever altered through lawlessness; residents become more anxious over going out to complete simple, everyday activities, and they experience immense emotional pain and suffering. Furthermore, the victims of misdemeanors miss work, contributing to the loss of national productivity. Individual communities are effected through a sharp decline in tourism and retail sales. Moreover, both local and federal governments spend public funds on police departments, prisons and jails, courts, social workers, and security guards. By the beginning of this century, the annual cost of crime in the United States had soared to an astounding two trillion dollars. You may think that the effects of illiteracy only reach one group of people, the illiterate. However, this is not so; it has an enormous effect on the entire society and American culture. The government must take an active role in implementing more effective retraining classes, company-sponsored literacy efforts, and partnerships with …show more content…
It is crucial for the expansion of an individual 's capabilities, and is critical for the economic and social well-being for people of all ages.Words are everywhere, and they substantiate everything. There is colossal power behind the printed word. It instructs you, it guides you, it leads you to create your own views and beliefs. Without being able to read or write, it is impossible for someone to form their own opinion on a vast majority of topics. Illiteracy compromises the fundamental American rights, especially that of freedom of speech. As Americans, we are allowed to utilize our acquired knowledge to establish viewpoints of our very own, but not having the ability to comprehend what seems to be a jumbled combination of letters strips you of that right. It binds you to a perspective that is not even yours. Under the influence of illiteracy, one can no longer communicate his or her thoughts and feelings. The concept of democracy does not apply to them. The functionally illiterate “can only see the American dream from the outside looking in” (Messina Productions, 2012). How can this be? How can our government let the very principle it was founded on be torn out of some people’s hands? How can this be reversed? What can we