Prison Inmate ‘Forgotten’ for 2 Years Wins $15.5M

[Ramo_Hawk]

An inmate in a New Mexico county jail who was put in solitary confinement for nearly two years without being charged has won a $15.5 million settlement.

A jury awarded Stephen Slevin $22 million in his suit against Doña Ana County in January of 2012. The county appealed, but agreed last week to pay the $15.5 million settlement and drop its appeal of the verdict.

Slevin, now 59, was arrested on a drunk driving charge in August 2005. He spent 22 months in solitary confinement at the Doña Ana County Detention Center as a pretrial detainee. The charges for driving while intoxicated and receiving a stolen vehicle were never prosecuted.

According to his lawsuit, he entered jail as a “well nourished, physically healthy adult,” but by the time he was released in June 2007, he had an unkempt beard, bed sores, dental problems, and weighed only 133 pounds.

Slevin said he had to pull out his own teeth and his cries for help were ignored.

Slevin, who had a long history of mental illness prior to his arrest, also suffered a drastic deterioration in his mental state. After nearly two years spent in solitary confinement without treatment he was no longer aware of his surroundings at the time of his release.

“They threw him in solitary and then ignored him,” said his attorney, Matthew Coyte. “He disappeared into delirium and his mental illness was made worse by being isolated from human contact and a lack of medical care.”

His lawsuit claimed the county violated his due process rights under the Constitution because he was never given a hearing before he was put in solitary confinement.

Coyte said he hopes the case helps stop the use solitary confinement in America.

“Other countries recognize it as a form of torture, whereas America uses it as a routine method of incarceration,” Coyte said.

He said that families of those in solitary confinement see the effects of this “barbaric treatment,” in which an inmate is isolated from daylight or human contact for all but one hour per day.

“Hopefully Stephen’s story can make a difference to them and others who are currently sitting in a concrete cell 23 hours a day.”

[Ethan.]

How is this even possible ?!?
Poor guy, all the troubles he went through. Well at least he doesn't need to think about money anymore.

[Salmonella]

He should be rewarded ten times as much... Fucked up story...

[Matt Murdock]

How is this even possible ?!?
Poor guy, all the troubles he went through. Well at least he doesn't need to think about money anymore.

He's 59. Inb4 swarming with hoooot 20 year old chicks.

[~Legend~]

If the prosecution system makes a serious mistake resulting in an innocent person being punished (often severely), the victim can get a huge amount in compensation. Normally deserving for what they have had to put up with... time can't be repaid.

[Antonio.]

I'd go in jail for two years for half of that amount.

[Slavik]

That's sad

Poor guy. Well at least he doesn't need to think about money anymore.

Yeah 

[Salmonella]

I'd go in jail for two years for half of that amount.

This isn't just jail. It's solitary confinement in the USA, where he was completely neglected and was forced to pull his on tooth after it started rotting. It has to stop, 80 percent of the people that go into solitary confinement for that long, go insane and eventually (try to) commit suicide. This man is very strong, do you think you're as strong as him? He had no idea when or whether he was going to be released. He had no idea what skin conditions he had and whether they were going to turn sceptic and kill him. To know that other people knew his physical state and chose to do nothing.

Before and after:

[Sawyer]

I'd go in jail for two years for half of that amount.

Same here.. He deserved the money though

[~Legend~]

I'd go in jail for two years for half of that amount.

Haha... definitely a unique way of getting your millions.

At the next Forbes meet when Mark Zuckerberg come up to you and asks "so how did you get rich?" 


But, in those 2 years, you could have done something super productive and become a billionaire?

[Antonio.]

This isn't just jail. It's solitary confinement in the USA, where he was completely neglected and was forced to pull his on tooth after it started rotting. It has to stop, 80 percent of the people that go into solitary confinement for that long, go insane and eventually (try to) commit suicide. This man is very strong, do you think you're as strong as him? He had no idea when or whether he was going to be released. He had no idea what skin conditions he had and whether they were going to turn sceptic and kill him. To know that other people knew his physical state and chose to do nothing.

Before and after:

I said I would go in jail for two years for half of that amount, not in jail for whenever they wanted to release me... I'm having trouble growing a beard anyways, maybe it's not a bad idea after all.

[Slavik]

I'm having trouble growing a beard anyways, maybe it's not a bad idea after all.

[Duel]

Purely torture and violation of human rights.

[Slavik]

Purely torture and violation of human rights.

True that

[Alsatian]

I'd go in jail for two years for half of that amount.

I was thinking the exact same thing.