If you ever get tempted to leave your child in jail to teach them a lesson don't

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-county-jail-murder-sep10,0,6693125.story

1 jail cell. 2 inmates. 1 is killed. No one charged?

By Gary Marx | Chicago Tribune reporter

11:55 PM CDT, September 9, 2008

John Lambert dropped out of high school in his freshman year, battled addictions to cocaine and alcohol, and was in and out of treatment centers as well as court for minor scrapes with the law.

Last year, when he was locked up in Cook County Jail for possessing cocaine and violating probation, his frustrated family chose not to bail him out, thinking he was better off where he could not abuse drugs or alcohol.

That proved to be a fatal mistake.

On June 26, 2007, his 25th birthday, Lambert was found unconscious in his cell with massive head injuries. After he died 12 days later, a pathologist concluded that Lambert had been beaten to death.

"It's a homicide," Mitra Kalelkar, the deputy chief medical examiner who conducted the autopsy, said in an interview.

The investigation would seem to be straightforward—Lambert had a lone cellmate the night of his fatal injuries.

But the cellmate, David Jamison, told investigators that Lambert sustained the injuries when he fell from the top bunk in their cell.

[Shell Beau]

1. It certainly isn't the parent's fault for leaving him there.

I hope that they investigate this a lot further.

[mokawanis]

2. When my son was jailed

My son got busted for a minor violation and was tossed in jail for it. When I went to bail him out the cop suggested I leave him in for a while to "teach him a good lesson about personal responsibility". I told the cop he was the one being irresponsible, plopped money down on the counter, and told him to release my kid or face a lawsuit. I wasn't being nasty about it, just matter of fact.

Jails are dangerous, violent places, as the story in your post makes clear. If your son or daughter gets arrested I say get them out of there as soon as possible.

[Mr. Blonde]

3. One of my dad's friends left his daughter in jail for two weeks

She got a DUI after her cousin had been in a drunk driving accident the week before. In addition she went to a place she was not supposed to go.

The father called a friend to go with him to get the car from the impound. When they were down there the friend asked about the daughter, and the dad replied, "what about her? I told her not to go down there."

She would have stayed except the grandma was very sick and t wasn't looking good so they bailed her out to go see grandma in case it was the last time.

Thankfully nothing like that happened to her.

If I were in that position I think I would rather take my chances with jail than with dad.

[Rabrrrrrr]

4. To imply this is the family's fault is the worst sort of evil.

[AlCzervik]

5. He wasn't a child and we don't know the history, i think blaming his parents

is just a bit unfair.

[NNN0LHI]

6. Aren't my two 30+ year old daughters still my children? Sure they are

And I didn't blame anyone in my OP but do you think the parents wish they had handled this differently now that their child is dead?

I bet they do.

Don

[AlCzervik]

7. i have no doubt at all they are blaming themselves for everything that went wrong there

with him and his life but what we don't know is his history, in the past when they have tried to get him help was he violent and abusive? that's the part we don't know and it's possible they thought they could not physically handle him, that might not be the case at all but we do not know.

[Rabrrrrrr]

8. They might wish they handled it differently, sure; but the truth remains, they handled it correctly

Hopefully they will find solace in the fact that he did this to himself, and that it is not their fault in any way, shape, or form.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

9. clearly whomever wrote this article hasnt had to deal with the frustrations of a parent with a drug

addicted child.

otherwise Gary Marx would not write such a stupid judgmental editorial.