jnvillemomanddad, your decision to use the phrase "scum of Rock County" reflects the very attitude these citizen's are complaining about. The officers who display this attitude are the same ones who can't seem to understand why situations are always escalating when they get involved. The officers who display some consideration are the ones who end up getting more cooperation.

Last night on the History Channel they had Gangland Stories- "Divide & Conquer." I saw many of the people that I knew and grew up with on Chicago's Southside being arrested.

I almost died during a vicious carjacking and beating when I was 17. Upon my release from the hospital, I left Chicago. I made mistakes when I was younger, but through hard work and determination, I went from a gang banger to a single mom to a Registered Nurse and wife.

I used to be looked down on and judged upon because of my gang roots. At that influential time period of my life and where I grew up, you did not really have a choice. I was in foster care and abused and the gang was there to replace my family, and for protection.

It was amazing to see how these individuals were portrayed on the show. It did not mention some of those that were arrested also did good things for others in the neighborhood. One of the men that I knew (who was arrested in this sting) stopped an elderly lady from getting robbed.

I am not saying that I agree with what happenned, but until you have walked in someone's shoes, Please do not judge them.

If you looked at me now, you would never even know who I used to be or where I grew up. It is about choices, but sometimes you may not have the means or opportunity to change your life.

True Citizen,

Of course I want the facts to be included. But, one must choose what facts need be included and which ones should be omitted. The article need not write a gleaming story of his hardship and compassion (for which I know nothing about). And, for that matter, the article need not write a review of the crime that got him in jail in the first place. They could have written about the suicide and a brief explanation for what kind of time he was serving. They took the liberty to write a long and drawn out explanation of the crime where they should have focused only on the charges.

No one wants to be, or should be, remembered for only what they did wrong unless, of course, that was their claim to fame (i.e. Hitler or Jefrey Dahmer). But, this man never received 15 minutes of fame for his crime.

I also agreed that his life was worth more. You here what you want. I merely stated he was in jail at the time like the gazette reported. Would you rather the facts not be included?

+++The staff when you go to visit do treat you as the criminal and it is wrong. The staff need to look at people on the right side of the glass visiting and respect that they are there to see someone and not one of the inmates they can treat like crap and I have seen it many times and it is wrong!!! +++

For all the people whining about how mean the CO's are out there, try being in their shoes. They deal with the scum of Rock County on a daily basis, so forgive them for not being cherry and greeting you with a smile.

True Citizen,

The fact is that he was more than just an inmate. The fact is that he was a person. And I'm mad because the Gazette disregarded that.

I'm angry because of people like you who insist on debating this crime... now. Everyone has that thing that defines them, truecitizen. & I bet some pretty decent people talk about your thing. How would you like others to define you based on that thing you do?

I'm angry because I've known a really good person who passed away on his way to work and the Gazette disregarded every aspect of this man other than the crime that landed him behind bars. It's as if, because Ken did not serve out his time in jail, the Gazette takes creative license to tarnish his image as recompense.

Just because they wear a badge does not give them the right to treat people like they do and maybe letters to Spoden would make a difference. I know some people are rude out there visiting but not everyone is and should not have to be subject to the disrespect they have and show to visitors. I have more then once picked up the phone and stated to the staff that some of the people have never been there and dont know the way "they the staff think it is to be" things go on unlike the ones there every week. Also visiting is only on saturdays and the place is a zoo all day long. Maybe they need to have more then one day for visiting like they had before the previous sheriff destroyed a better system IMO.to wait 2 to 3 hours to visit is uncalled for.

The staff when you go to visit do treat you as the criminal and it is wrong. The staff need to look at people on the right side of the glass visiting and respect that they are there to see someone and not one of the inmates they can treat like crap and I have seen it many times and it is wrong!!! As to reading the journal I did earlier and why didn't the gazette put the whole truth in there as to his request for a funeral and not just his criminal charge as that put a light on why he was in the frame of mind he was, also was it someone close to him that needed to be noted as it was critical enough to him to send him over the edge and end his young life. Prayers with both losses in his life.

hiredgun: thank you for letting me know that an investigation is underway. this is a very bad situation. an of course we all need someone to blame. as for the jail being under staffed that is correct, but it still doesnt give them the right to treat people the way they do they are rude and very unproffesssional at times. sad very sad

truecitizen- Living in the inner city breeds a subculture where diffrent rules apply. After I moved to Wisconsin, do you know how hard it was not to hit the ground when I heard a car back-fire?

JohnDoe, thank you :) I just can't believe the nerve of some people. I am a parent of a 19 year old that made a bad choice. This has been very difficult for the whole family. I've lived a clean life, you raise your kids, and when they go out into the world, they're on their own. Some of them make decisions that go totally against how they have been raised. I'm glad he has to serve some time in one aspect, it saved his life and hopefully turned it around. Not everyone that is out there come from "crappy" families and are hardened criminals!!

MrBlack, I was a VISITOR, NOT the criminal!!!!!!!!! I'm saying they treat the NON CRIMINAL like dirt! Learn how to read. I do take responsibility for my own actions, I'm an adult who has NEVER been in jail. So, don't pass judgement on to me. An example of the great staff out there. Someone spilled a cup of coffee, guards came out 3 times in 2 hours and nobody ever cleaned up the floor. If you haven't been out there, you have NO clue what goes on.

BOBDIGGLER...I don't think the gazette is trying to point out anything by pointing out his charges and his status as an inmate. You are mad because of the lack of the human aspect. The fact is he was an inmate, and had a cash bond, so what was wrong with the reporting? Of coarse he had a life other than being an inmate and YES it is sad he threw it away, and I hope his friends and family can cope with the loss.
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As for the 'growing up in Chicago'...just wondering, and I do agree it is a hard life for some people, why is it always like that. It seems like these larger cities have very little positive to offer and keep pushing out more hard luck cases. I say this because I deal with it constantly. Just because you grew up in Chicago or any other large urban area, shouldn't mean you are automatically a criminal and without hope in your life. You shouldn't use it as an excuse either.
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Crime is crime no matter how you look at it and don't make excuses for it. I grew up under rough circumstances and I didn't fall into crime. But NO, none of this was worth the young man's life and this is a sad story.
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I appreciate the efforts of the jail staff for their response, and continued efforts with their minimum staffing and overcrowded jail.

Growing up in Chicago is NOT easy. It is like living in a war zone. It takes dedication to leave that mindset behind.

I wish this man's family and friends peace and I would like to thank the employees at the Rock County Jail who tried to revive this man.

momo--Reading the article, it does not sound to me like he stabbed the man because his clothes had been moved. It sounds like he Argued because his clothes had been moved. He stabbed the man because, apparently during the argument, the man grabbed him and threw him up against the wall. That's why he claimed that he was defending himself. Of course, none of us were there, so this is just what I am gathering from the report, but to try to reduce it to "He stabbed him because his clothes were moved" seems to distort things beyond reason.

A few observations here....

momof5 wrote..."He stabbed a man because he moved his clothes to set up a television? Good grief!"
The article says "The stabbing occurred AFTER an argument over Smith's clothing getting moved to set up a television"...not "BECAUSE" of it.
Sounds like a lot happened in the interim.

softail wrote... "guy is carrying a knife in his back pocket, get's pissed at his buddy, stab's him, goes to jail hangs himself.and people feel sorry for him? sound's to me like a wanna be gang banger"

First of all, lot's of people carry knives, it's not illegal to carry one in your pocket in your own home.
How do you get "wanna be gang banger" out of someone purportedly defending himself?

And MrBlack ...this may be news to you, but some innocent people do end up in jail. For your sake...hope you are never one of them.

leostime36 & mrblack. I agree with with both of you. guy is carrying a knife in his back pocket, get's pissed at his buddy, stab's him, goes to jail hangs himself.and people feel sorry for him? sound's to me like a wanna be gang banger with no ball's. ok people let me have it!

upnorthwi-it's a jail, do you want them to have sofas with cake and coffee hour? The workers are observing you because there is a reason you are in there. Take some responsibility for your own actions and live like the majority of us do. The majority of people seem to be able to stay out of the place. The guy made a choice to end his life, it's nobody else's fault but his own.

People are always trying to blame other people for someone actions.....this would be yet ANOTHER case where someone harmed themselves...killed themselves..and people are trying to blame everyone, but the one that is at fault. The person that harmed/hung himself. His choice people. You think that every facility has enough help to supply one on one help for every loser that comes in??? Get real.

i think the fact that people are bashing a young man who felt so much pain that he chose to take his own life is amazing. he is someone's baby boy and he was sooo young and we have no right to pass judgement on someone who can't even be here to defend himself.

Trish, I can agree with that.

Unfortunately, as far as the Gazette is concerned, I can't imagine that the same people who wrote this decrepit article have the competency to put together those facts. But, perhaps another news organization, one with the proper credentials, could.

Irishlady, I think I read on the Wisconsin State Journal that he was in a cell alone in C something. You could read the article there. They also said there that he had requested to attend a funeral but was denied on the 11th of Feb., just last week. I think there was a lot going on with this young man that caused him to take his own life. I also read that he originally lived in Chicago, but his parents threw him out.(that is what he said in his statement to police) He moved to Beloit to live with an uncle. The way he described what happened in the original charge was that an argument led to a struggle, he pulled the knife because the other guy was bigger and the cut happened in the scuffle. I would think if he deliberately stabbed the guy, his bail would have been more that 750 bucks. I could be wrong. Heres me making assumptions and reading between the lines of a couple articles and we all know where that gets you.

Bob, I just reread your post and I actually like how you put it. I guess I was coming across like I was blaming them, I didn't mean to. I was just angered by the posts blaming the employees.
Thank you. Your post is making me think.

Bob, I did not mean to sound judgmental towards either Ken or my family member. I don't blame them, I feel sorry they felt it was their only option. But, in the end, the facts are the same. If someone is bent on doing harm to themselves, no one is going to stop them.

I wonder if the gazette staff have the stats on how many times in the last three years someone has tried to do harm to themselves and were stopped/saved by the employees of the jail?? Perhaps that would shed some light on the subject.

Wow Trish; don't get so defensive. Read the words that I wrote. I don't have the solution, but that wouldn't stop me from looking at the issue more closely as to minimize future damage.

As for the current staff: look, this is the first incident like this in three years. I think that is a good track record and I commend the institution for its vigilance. But, everything can be improved upon with different methods and new technologies. That's not to say that anyone should be punished.

Trish, don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Don't be so judgmental towards him and the loss you suffered. I too lost a brother to suicide. Some peoples' faculties just are not all there for one reason or another. Although they take the action, I believe that sometimes it's not their fault; but fault does not lie on the laps of others as well. So, in your little world where somebody, every time, should be held accountable for everything, perhaps all you can do is blame the one who resists least; like the one who can not answer back.

The jail is understaffed and the "people" that work out there treat EVERYONE like a criminal! They take their sweet time getting things done and when family go out to visit they sit behind the glass and look out at everyone like they're looking at a cage in the zoo. I have NO respect for the workers out there. That whole place is a hole...

He stabbed a man because he moved his clothes to set up a television? Good grief!

sorry trish I thought you meant ken not your loss!

The jail is understaffed and they can't do it all. and yes there are people who show no signs. Yet where were the other inmates as the jail is so full that people sleep on the floor at times. Did he not have a cell mate? I know from people who have been there that things go on out of view. But somebody had to know something. I am a believer that if it is your time to go then it will happen regardless. I just wonder like others in here he was so young to have reached this point.

Trish did he call and tell you he was happy with his life? No bob not you just in general to the people that have no clue as to what goes on in jails, Hard working staff Yes they work but I not as hard as you think it is. They do have a tough job as to the inmates that have no remorse or feeling towards others and then what would you know if you have never been there as to your perfect world. I have been there as to violating the law and did my time, long enough to see what goes on and how things work as to responding to serious situations and lack of., Im not saying they are responsible but there is a need to be aware of this type of situation and see the signs. No IMO they should not be sued nor be charged, but there needs to be awareness to the issue at hand so it doesn't happen again. Also the medical attention needs to be a little better then it is. I have not been there in years but I have had close people in there and get the info on it.I have seen a big change with the new sheriff and it is getting better. Yes they have made choices that got them there BUT they are still human beings and are someones family. until you walk in someones shoes at the point of something like this how can you Know. I also have lost to suicide and the desperation a person feels at the time far outweighs the reality in life ASK me I've been there and survived! I am grateful I did and I live life with a different attitude and great friends. I was lucky and had some friends who noticed the different me at the time.

melstew47

Not only does the jail do an internal investigation, but an independent investigation is also conducted by the Department of Corrections.

What is it that you expect out of our correctional facility? Is every inmate supposed to have a guard standing at their cell door twenty four seven? Oh wait, that would invade their rights of privacy? Is every taxpayer willing to pay for every inmate to have their own, private guard 24 hours a day??

Actually, panzer, you make a good point as to why they are partially to blame. Because so many come in feeling depressed, it is their responsibility to house the inmate accordingly. I am not blaming the folks, necessarily, for the death of this man, but the correctional facility should make strides a securing safe guards to prevent such incidents. Think about it this way, if someone takes the time alone in a cell to hang him/herself, could they not have the opportunity to fashion a crude weapon endangering the lives of other cellmates and security personal?

Think about how many people pass through the jail every year. Many of them are obviously having difficulties in thier lives at the time they are in jail. They probably are a bit depressed about thier situation. One man kills himself while in the jail in the last 3 years and people are seriously going to make comments that its the jails fault etc. Give me a break. This guy made the decision and followed through on that decision. It's his fault nobody elses PERIOD

sad sad sad........for everyone, what a waste

Irishlady, ultimately it is Ken's fault. He took his own life. Suicide (Latin suicidium, from sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the intentional taking of one's own life. Whatever the circumstances, it was his doing. I feel I can say this knowing first hand, having a family member commit suicide. There wasn't really any big warning signs for anyone to see, he had never spoken about suicide and overall seemed pleased with his life. He had his problems but overall seemed happy. And then he killed himself. Ken decided to do what he did for whatever reasons he felt he had. It is not the jail's nor the correction officers fault that he made this decision. They had him, by my understanding, in a cell by himself. To blame the hard working staff at the jail for his decision is unfair, to say the least.
To Ken's family, I am so sorry for the pain you are going through. You will never truly understand why he made this decision and will always wonder the what if's. I am sorry for your loss.

Ummm, Irishlady4ev, I don't know who's comment you're commenting on, but it looks like mine.

I never brought fault up in my comment. The point of my comment (which was unexpectedly reformatted after I submitted it to remove spaces between the two paragraphs) refers only to the Janesville Gazette article I wrote about. I don't claim to know who's at fault because the Gazette did not adequately report on surrounding circumstances. Please, reread my original comment and understand that I think there is more to this kid than a single crime. Know that I feel for him and his family for the suicide and also the way the Gazette treated their obligation. As for the rest of what you wrote, well I don't think you should have wrote what you did on this forum as it's completely unrelated.

If you think it isn't the responsibility of the people who are in charge of him while in custody, then who's is it? IMO It is there job (Or should be) to look for people at risk of this type of behavior. If this was your child, brother, friend I think you would look at it different. And it is a "tragedy" and yes he is someones son, brother and or friend. again I type this I am amazed at all the cold hearted people in todays world! This kid was 20 years old and had a whole life ahead of him. And people make mistakes in their lives and do go to jail and Every mistake I made I learned from and guess what I still make mistakes and I still learn from them. And the ones in here that have NEVER made a mistake or errored in judgement I applaud you but also feel sorry as without a mistake or 2 what can you change in your perfect world. have any of your kids made a mistake? Mine have.

Here we go again; A good friend of mine passed away when commuting to his job while he served time (huber law, I think they call it). Like in this article, the Gazette reduces him to a series of his crimes and incidents. The Gazette staff should be ashamed of themselves for their blatant bigotry. This man had an incident (albeit, one he was held responsible for) that somehow cancelled out the quality of his life. Throw away his loved ones. Disregard any accomplishments. This man's crime, not his being, should be reviewed by the Gazette.

To his family; all I can do is apologize for the Gazettes lack of quality reporting. The views expressed in this paper do not reflect the views from its readers. The Gazette staff may not be a product of our community, so perhaps they have different ideals as they most certainly have an agenda. From the bottom of my heart, know that I believe that your friend, son, brother, etc. is a collection of so much more than this article allows. I offer my sincerest apologies and my deepest regards.

this is serious. alot of people may not care. but if that was your family member you would.the state needs to do and investigation on whats going on inside that jail. i cant believe this kids life was so bad that he had to end it himself. i know if that was my son i would have some one other than rock county investigating this horrible incident. my condolences to the family.

that's too bad, i don't condone what this man did but he was sooo young and had a chance to change his life if he wanted too. his families are in my prayers

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