A study of learning disabilities among adult male legal offenders

This study investigated the prevalence of learning disabilities among adult male prisoners, with learning disability defined by the criteria of the Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude--Revised, (DTLA-2). The study also evaluated the effectiveness of a metacognitive intervention among prisoners enrolled in the General Education Diploma program of the correctional education system and compared prevalence rates of learning disabilities by ethnicity, by status of crime (violent or nonviolent), by length of sentence for which prisoners were incarcerated, and by status of incarceration (whether prisoners are first offenders or multiple offenders). Seventy-five students in a General Education Diploma (GED) program who were school dropouts and incarcerated in a maximum security state penitentiary served as subjects. Their median age was 33.5 and their median grade in school completed was ninth grade. The mean I.Q. was 92.2. Twenty-five of this group served as the control group and were not tested for learning disabilities. Twenty-five were tested on the DTLA-2 and test results were shared with the student and his primary correctional instructor. Twenty-five were tested and test results shared only with the student. GED Test scores available for comparison were in Science, Math, Reading/Literature, Writing, and Social Studies. The results showed overall prevalence of learning disability to be 60%, higher than that reported in the research for learning disability among juvenile delinquents. No significant differences were found between any two groups. Correlations between standard scores of the DTLA-2 subtests and certain GED test scores were positive and significant. No significant differences were found in prevalence of learning disability in comparisons by ethnicity, status of crime (violent or nonviolent), length of sentence, or status of incarceration (first offender or multiple offender). The results document a high level of learning disabilities among adult male prisoners, and support the need to train correctional staff and educators about the implications of learning disabilities. Demographic characteristics of offenders can not serve as predictors of learning disabilities