Jesus Christ! What the fuck is Stockwell Day's problem? Does he have any idea how much it costs our health care system to care for a person with AIDS or Hep C? Prisonners get tattoos, that's what they do, why on earth would you take away a successful program to teach inmates a trade, so that they can get a career when they get out of jail, and prevent so many people from catching nasty, expensive diseases.
I'm sure everyone who has ever read this blog, or listened to me talk for more than 5 minutes, knows that I am down on tattooing and piercing. In fact, it's kind of surprising that I haven't put tattooing and piercing 'on notice', and I may yet, because, the skin is, afterall, the first line of defense against infection. But this is one situation where I think we, as a nation, need to spend some money and get some people tattooed. It's called harm reduction Doris! If you don't know what that is, look it up! Are you going to cancel needle exchange programs for drug addicts next? Probably.
I hate you Sockwell Day, I hope you get AIDS and Hep C. I'm being lenient by putting you on notice, only because I expect that you'll piss me off some more and I'll wait until then to make you 'dead to me.'
What the heck is a Public Safety Minister anyway? The Tories suck.
Tories end funding for prison tattoo parlours
Last Updated: Monday, December 4, 2006 12:22 PM ET
The Canadian Press
The Conservative government is cutting a safe-tattoo program for federal prisoners despite concerns the move will increase the spread of AIDS and hepatitis C.
Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day announced Monday that the government would not continue a pilot project that offered tattoos to inmates.
"Our government will not spend taxpayers' money on providing tattoos for convicted criminals," Day said.
"Our priority is to have an effective federal corrections system that protects Canadians, while providing inmates with access to acceptable health-care and treatment programs."
Supporters of the pilot project said the move is a mistake. They argue that safe tattooing saves millions of dollars in health care and social costs by reducing the number of AIDS and hepatitis C cases.
Day said Corrections Canada, in partnership with Health Canada and outside organizations, would continue to run health and education programs to help reduce the transmission of infectious diseases.
Tattoo parlours at six federal prisons across Canada have been sitting idle since the one-year project ended Sept. 30.
The $600,000 project was aimed at reducing the spread of AIDS and hepatitis C by providing safe tattooing using clean needles.
Inmates are up to 10 times more likely to contract HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS, than the general population. Their likelihood of contracting hepatitis C is also about 30 times higher.
Hepatitis C is a blood-born virus that often attacks the liver and can be fatal. One of the most common methods of transmission is getting a tattoo from equipment that is unsanitary or was used earlier on an infected person.
The pilot program educated inmates about safe tattooing while also training selected inmates on infectious diseases and infection prevention. Selected prisoners were also trained to perform tattoos on fellow inmates.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation hailed the move, calling the project a waste of taxpayers' money.
The federation estimated the annual cost to taxpayers to expand the program to all 58 federal correctional facilities at $5.8 million, plus $2.6 million in startup costs.
Last Updated: Monday, December 4, 2006 12:22 PM ET
The Canadian Press
The Conservative government is cutting a safe-tattoo program for federal prisoners despite concerns the move will increase the spread of AIDS and hepatitis C.
Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day announced Monday that the government would not continue a pilot project that offered tattoos to inmates.
"Our government will not spend taxpayers' money on providing tattoos for convicted criminals," Day said.
"Our priority is to have an effective federal corrections system that protects Canadians, while providing inmates with access to acceptable health-care and treatment programs."
Supporters of the pilot project said the move is a mistake. They argue that safe tattooing saves millions of dollars in health care and social costs by reducing the number of AIDS and hepatitis C cases.
Day said Corrections Canada, in partnership with Health Canada and outside organizations, would continue to run health and education programs to help reduce the transmission of infectious diseases.
Tattoo parlours at six federal prisons across Canada have been sitting idle since the one-year project ended Sept. 30.
The $600,000 project was aimed at reducing the spread of AIDS and hepatitis C by providing safe tattooing using clean needles.
Inmates are up to 10 times more likely to contract HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS, than the general population. Their likelihood of contracting hepatitis C is also about 30 times higher.
Hepatitis C is a blood-born virus that often attacks the liver and can be fatal. One of the most common methods of transmission is getting a tattoo from equipment that is unsanitary or was used earlier on an infected person.
The pilot program educated inmates about safe tattooing while also training selected inmates on infectious diseases and infection prevention. Selected prisoners were also trained to perform tattoos on fellow inmates.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation hailed the move, calling the project a waste of taxpayers' money.
The federation estimated the annual cost to taxpayers to expand the program to all 58 federal correctional facilities at $5.8 million, plus $2.6 million in startup costs.
7 comments:
Ughh what is wrong with these people??? I remember i wrote a blog in August of last year about the prisons doing a trial needle exchange program for intravenous drug users as well as for safer tattooing. Hello people, harm reduction....what the heck is he thinking?????
I am a Stockwell Hater as well, but I bet there are so many people out there who completely agree with him and the Tories on this one. The whole... no way am I paying for criminals to get a tattoo, they are the same people who get made when inmates get degrees. Messed up.
I've had a chat about this to a couple of people who balked at the prospect of paying for prisonners to get tattoos, but when I pointed out that it costs less to pay for the tats then to pay for the chemo or AIDS cocktails then they agreed with me.
I don't have time to go around to every knuckle-head in this whole country and explain this. Besides I'd have to spend the rest of my life in Alberta.
Conservatives just suck!
I know, while we're at it, let's cut funding for adult literacy— oh wait, we already did that! hmmn, what other horrible thing could we do to appeal to voters in our most awful province? --hey, i bet school breakfast programmes cost the government a pretty penny. let's cut funding for that, then we'll save even more on education costs when all those kids die of malnutrition. perfect.
Oh god..could you imagine they cut the breakfast for learnding programs?? I'd Die...half the kids Ive worked with depend on those programs becuse of fixed incomes.....As if they dont have it bad enough already.
Oh, and let's also cut Status of Women Canada.
Conservative party = heads up their asses.
My word verification is "flwuzq". I suggest that the Conservatives are flwuzqed up.
ok being inked and pined myself i can understand the need for the correct levels of hygiene and all that concerned with the needles
and to read that there is a government programme for prisons made me laugh initially, but whe you think about it it's a very good idea, so to then read that it's being reduced makes me think that these people have no idea how much it will cost them in medical bills for these inmates should they develop hep c or aids...
dumb
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