Hard to Read, Harder to Access: US Disability Policy of State Correctional Departments

Abstract

In the United States, people who are incarcerated average a fifth grade reading level, and approximately one in four persons incarcerated have a cognitive disability. Given the necessity of health and safety within correctional institutions and federal rights around accessibility, practical information held in policies, particularly policies about people with disabilities, should be written at a level that is comprehensible to those incarcerated. The current study evaluates the readability of publicly available general disability, as well as intellectual or developmental disability (IDD), titled correctional policies using three standard readability metrics (Flesch Reading Ease Score, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook). Overall, 33 states (66%) had either publicly available general disability or IDD titled correctional policies. Only three states had both general and IDD-specific policies. Nearly one-third of states lacked publicly available disability policies; those available far exceeded recommended fifth to sixth grade reading levels. On average, 1-year post-bachelor’s degree education is needed to comprehend general disability policies (41 policies, 32 states), and a bachelor’s degree is needed to comprehend IDD-specific policies (5 policies, 4 states). Disability policies that are difficult to comprehend may increase harm for incarcerated individuals with disabilities, underscoring the need for state correctional policies to be written at accessible reading levels.