The sections of inmate handbooks containing regulations concerning visitors, finances and security or disciplinary matters from seven Canadian institutions were analyzed for their readability. The analysis was done with the commercial computer program RightWriter 4.0, by Que Software. Although it is an American program based on the U.S. educational system, it gives an indication of the clarity and readability of the writing analyzed.

Two handbooks from British Columbia, four from Ontario and one from the Atlantic region were analyzed. One handbook was from a minimum security institution, four were from medium-security and two were from maximum-security institutions.

Clarity of writing is necessary for inmate understanding, as the following quote from one of the manuals explains: "Clearly knowing rules and following them explicitly will bring about satisfactory performance which will prevent you from having to cope with any disciplinary sanctions." An analysis of this sentence through Rightwriter indicated a 16th grade level of education was required to comprehend it.

Results of the analysis of the inmate handbook sections are shown in the figure.

These findings are disturbing. The regulations concerning both pay and visitation involve important elements in the lives of inmates, yet they are not written simply enough to be understood easily.

Breach of the regulations concerning discipline could have a direct effect on inmates' apparent suitability for parole. However, if inmates cannot understand the regulations, they are much more likely to commit an offence within the system, which would be recorded in their file.

The Ontario region has now undertaken a program to revise inmate handbooks to make them more comprehensible. It is hoped that other regions are following suit.

More generally, there is a warning in these analyses to ensure that any-thing written for inmates is written clearly.