Speaking at the British Dyslexia Association's international conference in 2001, Dr Michael Rice of Darwin College
said that some previous research of dyslexia among prisoners had been flawed.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge say they have disproven suggestions that prisoners are more likely to have dyslexia than the general population.

Instead, Dr Rice, says that a higher incidence of reading difficulties reflects the deprivations of prisoners' backgrounds.

"My research suggests that dyslexia accounts for no more cases than might occur by chance, and that most prisoners' reading problems are associated with social disadvantage?" .

Among the problems with earlier research, he said, was the assumption that dyslexia is the "unique cause of low reading attainment" - and the understating of the impact of environmental influences.