On this, the international Day of Pink - a day of celebrating diversity and for standing up against bullying, discrimination, homophobia and transphobia in our schools, workplaces and our communities - it's only fitting to have reflection from someone who's been there.

It costs a lot of money to provide treatment in a residential facility for children facing mental health issues. For a typical 6 - 8 month stay, costs can range from $20,000 to $38,400. But Social Work professors at Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU) found that after spending these resources, it still doesn't seem to provide enough support to help kids transition from the treatment program back to their normal lives.

Crime costs Canadians. It reaches deep into our wallets and our overall quality of life. And who is doing most of this spending? Mainly victims. When we crunch the cost of policing, corrections and courts, we’re looking at $31.4 billion in 2008. For pain and suffering, we’re looking at $68.2 billion.

"A Community Fit for Children Interim Update: Results of the 2010 Early Development Instrument and Kindergarten Parent Survey for Waterloo Region" was shared with members of the Alliance for Children and Youth at its most recent meeting.

The Interrupters, has been getting a LOT of press lately. That's not why I'm writing about it here as the 'Smart Link of the Day'. I'm writing about this film because it showcases the absolutely innovative approach of Chicago's Ceasefire program to curb gun related shootings and killings in that city.

Fulfilling an election promise, the Government of Canada recently introduced the “Safe Streets and Communities Act” or Bill C-10. If passed, Bill C-10 would significantly amend the Canadian Criminal Code and related legislation. C-10 is an omnibus bill that includes nine pieces of proposed legislation covering changes from mandatory minimum sentences to tougher penalties for selected crimes.

'Placemaking' is fast becoming a new 'buzz word'. But what does it really mean anyway? It ends in 'ing' so that means it's a verb, which means some kind of action is happening... What kind of action is required to 'make a place'? And what does 'making a place' have to do with crime prevention and being smart on crime?

On the heels of the July 21st Statistics Canada report on crime statistics for 2010, several media outlets ran editorials over the past few days asking a similar question: If crime has been on a downward trend since 1973, why is the ‘tough of crime’ agenda so popular? These editorials appeared as music to our 'smart on crime' ears; because asking tough questions about evidence based practice is the smart thing to do!

Early this week, the U.S. Justice Department launched a new website. Crime Solutions does one simple thing - it tells me what works and what doesn't when it comes to effective programs and initiatives in criminal justice, crime prevention and services for victims of crime.

I love their simple, and visual, rating system. It uses evidence based research to tell me whether or not a program is successful at achieving its goals. Brilliant.

Over the last 5 years, the province of Alberta (Canada) has been making and taking great strides in proactive crime prevention. Not just in theory, but in practice. Just last week, they released their Crime Prevention Framework.