The Bench Mark Studios Podcast above shares more on this project.

Director’s Vision

While researching my last documentary, Raising Faith: Stories about Dyslexia, the production team learned that 20% of people are dyslexic, meaning they are neurodivergent in their ability to process information received from the eyes or ears into understandable language and coding. We also learned that many more than this number of incarcerated individuals are deemed to be dyslexic. One study suggests close to 80% of prison inmates in Texas are functionally illiterate, and a significant number of them have the neurodiversity associated with dyslexia (Moody et al., 2000). This was the seed of this new film project.

The Dyslexia Behind Bars Documentary film is focused on the school-to-prison pipeline and dyslexia’s role in this experience. Recent federal legislation surrounds the high rate of incarcerated individuals who are dyslexic and how they might be identified and rehabilitated, including learning to read, while they are serving time in prison. This federal program is called the First Steps Act.

The majority of incarcerated individuals in the U.S. are held in state prison systems. The Pennsylvania State Prison System does not conduct dyslexia screening of inmates, and Pennsylvania is one of the top 10 states for incarceration numbers, according to several key studies. Surrounding states also have their own different policies regarding intake and rehabilitation. The film Dyslexia Behind Bars will share insights on the school-to-prison pipeline and highlight these issues.

This topic also has racial justice implications because dyslexia remediation is funded far less in economically disadvantaged and poor educational systems. No national studies have been completed on the correlation between incarceration and dyslexia; however, a 2014 Department of Education Report and the federally funded First Step Act that passed in December 2018, conclude that a disproportionate number of incarcerated individuals are dyslexic. This film’s production can help highlight this issue through lived experience, to foster further research and, more importantly, change.

Overall, dyslexia is the number one cause of illiteracy, and illiteracy is a known risk factor in criminal behavior. Not only did the Federal and State educational systems fail our children, but as they grew up, their inability to read meant they failed in other ways. It is no surprise that incarcerated adult dyslexics are not successful in their enrollment in rehabilitation and enrichment programs like the “behind bars” high school completion program and college classes because of their dyslexia. And while the 2018 First Step Act includes provisions that require the Attorney General to implement a dyslexia screening program for federal prisoners and to incorporate programs designed to treat dyslexia or create productive activities required to be implemented, the First Step Act only applies to the federal Bureau of Prisons. This documentary is meant to raise awareness on this topic through a documentary approach.

• Thank you to these individuals and groups who have shared wisdom, resources and connections.
  • Bench Mark Program & Studios
  • BreakIT Entrepreneurial Incubator
  • Carrie Kurtz
  • Carrie Smith, PhD
  • Chester County Re-Entry Coalition
  • Children’s Dyslexia Center of Lancaster
  • Christopher A. Hackman
  • Darren Landis
  • Doug Maddox
  • Ellen Long, PhD
  • Faculty Professional Development Council Grant
  • Faith Phagan
  • Heather Brown
  • James Machado
  • Jeffrey Porter
  • Jeremy Burnworth
  • Jill Craven, PhD
  • Joey Nicholson
  • John Rusnak
  • Karen Rice, PhD
  • Kathleen Seeman
  • Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas
  • Lowery Woodall III, PhD
  • Mark Mullen
  • Mark Walmer, Esq.
  • Mary Glazier, PhD
  • Melanie Snyder
  • Millersville University Media Arts Production Program
  • Millersville University President’s Commission for the Status of Women Grant
  • Millersville University Sabbatical Leave Committee
  • Melanie Snyder
  • Millersville University
  • Pardon & Expungement Services llc
  • PASSHE Faculty Professional Development Grant (FPDC)
  • Pennsylvania Re-entry Council (PARC)
  • Pete Anders
  • Rene Munoz
  • St. Moses Church, Baltimore, MD
  • The Ware Center at Millersville University
  • UnCUFFED Ministries
  • Wesley Bullock