Preliminary study of the prevalence of speech and language difficulties in young offenders

Background: There are no systematic surveys of the UK prison population, but data from several sources suggest that a significant number of prisoners might have limitations in their speech, language and communication abilities. Aim: To examine the hypothesis that compared with the general population, a significantly larger number of the prison population has speech, language and communication difficulties. Methods & Procedures: A survey of 10% of the young offenders within one young offender's institution was conducted. Tests of naming, picture description, grammatical competency and comprehension were used. Outcomes & Results: Forty-three per cent of participants scored at a level significantly lower than the limits acceptable for their age on the Boston Naming Test; 73% scored significantly below the acceptable limits for their age on grammatical competency; 23% scored significantly below the acceptable limits for their age on language comprehension; 47% of participants received more than one rating of moderate impairment on picture description. Conclusion: It was confirmed that high levels of speech, language and communication difficulties are found among the young offender population. The implications for the management of young offenders, the limitations of the study and indications for further research are discussed.