Last night's local TV reports and this morning's Joplin Globe featured a story about a 37-year-old Barton County Jail inmate who committed suicide.
Sheriff Shannon Higgins did not release the name of the deceased, deferring to the family's wishes. While you have to have sympathy for the man's family, any time a death takes place in a taxpayer-funded facility, the family's wishes need to be secondary to the public's right to know.
How did this happen? Why did this happen? Get the facts out in the open as quickly as you determine what they are and you maintain the public trust. While I have no doubt that the sheriff's actions in this case are out of concern for the family, that concern is misplaced. I am sure that the man's name has already circulated around Lamar and Barton County. That means that the only place the information did not come from is the one place that should have provided it.
10 comments:
On behalf of all taxpayers allow me to be the first to thank that convict for relieving some of the burden on us. If only the death row inmates would follow suit we could save some real money.
His obituary is in today's Democrat. Don't know how the family really thinks it will remain secret in a small town like Lamar though!
I am just astounded at the insensitivity of the comments posted on this blog. You know, he was a classmate of mine in Lamar, and a person I remember fondly. No matter the circumstances of his life he was a person who had a right to redemption. Why is it that it is our "right to know" who killed themselves at the jail? Why do we NEED to know?? How sick are we as a public to think we need to know every detail about every little thing. How about thinking about how tragic this must be for his family. He has teenage kids who are devastated, humiliated, now you think it should be splattered all over the news because you have the "right to know".
What we should be asking is how is it that a prisoner goes unmonitored long enough to hang themselves? Do they not have security camera's on the cell's to monitored the prisoners?
As far as it being a relief to the taxpayers that he killed himself................that is just an awful horrible thing to say. You don't know what his crime was, you don't know any of the circumstances....but regardless I doubt he did anything so bad that he deserved death.
I couldn't care less what his name was. I'm comforted knowing that he 1.) Won't have the opportunity to commit another crime and 2.) Is no longer a burden on tax paying citizens.
It doesn't matter to me, the severity of his crime(s). He was a criminal.
As far as I'm concerned, he should have remained nameless. Inmate# XXXX suffices.
He was arrested on failure to appear on a traffic ticket. He just had $1000 bond, but did not appear to his court date and was arrested on 8/29, and did not post bond. His new hearing date was to be 9/13. To me, that is not a person who deserves to die. Obviously he had other problems.
May God forgive you for showing so little love.
He who has been forgiven much, loves much.
My prayers are with his family.
I hope my husband is finally at rest. Was a great man, husband and father to three beautiful children.
I'm a taxpayer in Barton County and I'm concerned with our new sheriff's spending. I feel instead of wishing for the death of inmates that we should ask why Shannon needed to buy new gas guzzling trucks and why he needs so many deputies, especially the ones that weren't hired by the towns in this county. By the way, my prayers are with David's family.
I was in jail there when he died. i myself tried to kill myself. he was arrested on a small charge nothing big he was going to be let go soon. He told lyman Taylor the jailer that night he was going to kill himself lymen said go ahead and when he came back up to serve super the guy in the drunk tank was dead. People make mistakes. he had made a mistake and that didn't mean he should die. the way they treat you in that county is harsh Steve Weston and all of them there are all crocked cops that don't care about anything. how do you like that Steve i am a free man now thanks to your sherrifs dept. mistakes.
Daniel Dryden
You have all been in the wrong at one time or another. Should we say kill yourself for your wrong doing so there is more space on the earth. We would all be dead you are no better than another. Your hate for a couple deputies should not be directed at all of them. There are good cops and unjust just as the citizens good and unjust. In that same instance each of us make mistakes!!! God rest his soul!! God be with the family!!!
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