An empirical analysis of the (Un)readability of inmate handbooks

ABSTRACT

All 50 state Departments of Corrections (DOC) provide some form of handbook to inmates upon their incarceration. Handbooks specify, in part, the rules, regulations, responsibilities, and consequences of behavior critical for upholding safety, security, and order within correctional institutions. Considering the vital importance of these documents to the inmate and the institution, it is essential they be written at a level accessible and understandable to incarcerees. The present multi-method study first assessed the purpose of inmate handbooks. Qualitative results suggest handbooks serve as informational guides regarding the facility’s rules. Moreover, a significant portion of the handbooks emphasize that inmates bear the responsibility of understanding and adhering to the instructions outlined in the provided guide. Next, quantitative analysis of 74 inmate handbooks from DOCs in 49 US states was completed, utilizing three established readability metrics (the Flesch Readability Scale, the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, and the SMOG index), to determine whether handbooks are suitably written for their intended inmate audience. All 74 reviewed handbooks significantly exceeded a reasonable expectation of readability given the likely literacy and education levels of inmates. Recommendations are provided for the improvement of inmate handbook readability drawing on the empirical findings of the present study.

KEYWORDS:

• Readability
• inmate handbooks
• corrections
• incarceration

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Only state Departments of Corrections were examined. The Federal Bureau of Prisons, as a federal agency, must follow the Plain Writing Act, requiring federal agencies to use plain language. The authors felt this requirement could impact the overall comparison of results.

2. To respect the cooperation of state departments of corrections, the authors have chosen not to identify handbooks by state or facility.

3. One state did not respond to multiple information requests and had no handbooks on its website. Another state only provided a female handbook and did not reply to multiple requests for a corresponding male handbook.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Jessie L. Krienert

Dr. Jessie Krienert is a Professor of Criminal Justice Sciences at Illinois State University. Her areas of research include prison subculture, safe sexual practice while incarcerated, special correctional populations, family violence, and gender issues in both correctional and street settings.

Jeffrey A. Walsh

Dr. Jeffrey Walsh is a Professor of Criminal Justice Sciences at Illinois State University. His research areas include incarcerated populations, underserved victims, predatory violent crime, and family violence across the life course.

Malia A. Kohls

Malia Kohls is an undergraduate student in the Criminal Justice Sciences Department at Illinois State University.