A few thoughts:

1) This video is funny. It’s fun to make fun of our Conservatives who favour ideology over data. And Stockwell Day is a prime target.

2) Yes, crime rates per 1000 are higher than they were in the 60s. You can see it in the Corrections Canada article I link in #5.

3) Yes, there are unreported crime statistics. They compare reported crimes with surveys asking people if they have been the victim of a crime (victimization stats).

4) The Conservative attempts to justify their ‘tough on crime’ approach, and to take credit for a decline in crime that has been happening for over a decade, are painful yet hard to resist watching. By raising the mandatory sentences and changing the credit system for time already served they will increase the prison population significantly and thus require that $9b in new prisons and management.

5) This is an interesting article about the effect of the Baby Boom on the prison population and crime rate. The general idea is that when you have a massive population surge of young people you are going to see more crime. As people age, they are less likely to commit crime. However, they are increasingly paranoid and ready to believe that the world is a more dangerous place. Even if it isn’t. As an ideological government, it makes sense, therefore, not to tell the voting population the truth, but to tell them what they already believe.

6) As always, discussions on crime statistics remind me of FreakonomicsFreakonomics and the idea that legalized abortion has a significant impact on decreasing crime rates. Funny how the Conservatives don’t talk about that at all.

While perusing my Facebook updates I came across an article about Bill C510 (Roxanne’s Law) from the National Post. The idea of the Bill is that it would criminalize the ‘coercion’ of abortion. Interestingly, Harper is reported to be voting against the legislation and strongly recommending that his caucus do the same, though it will be a free vote. If so, it looks like the government will be keeping their promise to not introduce or support anti-choice legislation. Cool.

Dammit Janet did a great job of breaking down why it is ridiculous to call it Roxanne’s Law. And in the Comments to her post SustainableFamilies wrote the following:

“But I would like, in my imagined utopia, for crisis pregnancy services to basically first ask a woman if she could have her DREAM situation… if she had support, resources, emotional support, financial support… would she want to parent? And if so, I would like for her to be offered all known parenting resources in the area.

Likewise. If she says there is no way, this is not what I want right now, abortion services would be offered compassionately and quickly (and affordably.)”

I love that vision. Is it only possible in a utopia? Or is it possible for family planning/crisis services to step beyond their own political positions and empower the young women who come to them to make the choice that is best for themselves?

Has anyone had good or bad experiences with these services that they want to share? I’d love to hear about it. I think it is important that those who are most vulnerable are given the power to create their own lives.