Night in the cells accidentally became 2 years in solitary. Victim wins $22mill

[jimmy olsen]

Whoops!

WTF is wrong with this country.

link

Night in the cells accidentally became two years in solitary

Suspected drunk driver wins $22m after he was forgotten, isolated – and terribly neglected

Stephen Slevin was driving along a rural highway in southern New Mexico in August 2005 when traffic police pulled him over and arrested him on suspicion of drink-driving, along with a string of other motoring offences.

By the time all of the charges against him were dismissed and Mr Slevin was released from custody, it was 2007. For reasons that remain unclear, officials had forced him to spend the intervening two years in solitary confinement.

During the ordeal, he claims to have been denied access to basic washing facilities for months at a time. He'd lost a third of his body weight, grown a beard down to his chest and was suffering from bed sores. Prison officials had also ignored his pleas to see a dentist, forcing him to pull out his own tooth. They declined other requests for attention, including an audience with a mental health professional. He duly became delirious and says that by the time of his release he'd "been driven mad".

This week, a jury in Albuquerque ordered Dona Ana County, which was responsible for incarcerating Slevin without trial, to pay $22m (£14m) in compensation. It was the largest award ever granted to a US prisoner whose civil rights have been violated.

"Prison officials were walking by me every day, watching me deteriorate," Mr Slevin, who still  suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, told reporters. The court heard how he was originally arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and "receiving a stolen vehicle". He was thrown into solitary confinement after officers learned that he suffered from depression and decided he might be suicidal.

Matthew Coyte, a civil-rights lawyer who represented Mr Slevin, now 58, during the six-day trial, said he was then "forgotten" and left to "decay".

In letters to staff at Dona Ana County Jail, Mr Slevin claimed to be depressed and unable to sleep in the solitary "pod" there. As time went on, he told them he'd begun hallucinating. No doctor was called, but at the behest of a prison nurse, who had a bachelor's degree in psychology but no medical qualifications, he was given some sedatives. It wasn't until June 2007 that Mr Slevin went before a judge, at which point he was immediately released into the mental health system on the grounds that he was by then incapable of participating in his own defence.

The case throws an uncomfortable light on the use of solitary confinement in the US justice system. At present, an estimated 50,000 inmates are housed in such circumstances, sometimes for years at a time. Dona Ana County had previously offered Mr Slevin $2m to drop his compensation case. It pledged to appeal the $22m award, saying: "we believe we have strong legal issues to raise."

[Eddie Teach]

2 years in a box for 22 million bucks. Worth it or not? 

[HVC]

Looks like Slevin's lucky number is 22

[Ideologue]

Absolutely not.

Everyone involved should be shot.  Probably including Mr. Slevin, the poor, poor motherfucker.

[HVC]

Also is he being taxed on this? Be kind of funny if the state gets a chunk back.

[Ideologue]

Also is he being taxed on this? Be kind of funny if the state gets a chunk back.

Depends upon how the damages are characterized.  It says "compensation" in the article.  If the damages are indeed compensatory for the direct harm done by the state, I think they aren't.  I'm not 100% sure, though.

[rufweed]

2 years in a box for 22 million bucks. Worth it or not? 

If I knew I would be getting 22M while in there yes, if not, uhh no.

[Habbaku]

2 years in a box for 22 million bucks. Worth it or not? 

Yes.

[Monoriu]

One, I suspect there is more to the story than what is reported in the article.  Two, I don't think the guy has received the US$22 million yet.  He still has years of legal battles ahead before he'll get the money.  Also, are US counties rich enough to pay that kind of money? 

[HisMajestyBOB]

Absolutely not.

Everyone involved should be shot.  Probably including Mr. Slevin, the poor, poor motherfucker.

And especially all the Brits who say "drink driving".

[Josquius]

I too think there has to be more to this but as presented...just wtf?

[11B4V]

2 years in a box for 22 million bucks. Worth it or not? 

Before or after taxes?

[Martinus]

Hey, US lawtalkers - what are the chances of prison staff/police involved in this facing serious criminal charges?

[Ideologue]

One, I suspect there is more to the story than what is reported in the article.  Two, I don't think the guy has received the US$22 million yet.  He still has years of legal battles ahead before he'll get the money.  Also, are US counties rich enough to pay that kind of money?

Yeah, as an individual thing.

As to the first point, indeed; one thing I took to heart was that in general, settlements are way better than judgments.

[Ideologue]

Hey, US lawtalkers - what are the chances of prison staff/police involved in this facing serious criminal charges?