Stephen Slevin spent 22 months in solitary confinement in a New Mexico jail. During that time, his mental health deteriorated, fungus grew on his skin, and he was forced to pull his own tooth after being denied access to a dentist. A recent settlement with Dona Ana County resulted in Slevin receiving $15.5 million.

Initially, Slevin was awarded $22 million by a jury, but Dona Ana County appealed. The two parties reached an agreement this week. According to NBC News, Slevin's attorney, Matt Coyte, said his client's "mental health has been severely compromised from the time he was in that facility. That continues to be the same. No amount of money will bring back what they took away from him. But it’s nice to be able to get him some money so he can improve where he is in life and move on."

During his 22 months in solitary confinement, Slevin developed bedsores and lost 50 pounds. The ordeal began in 2005 when he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and stealing a car, which he says he borrowed from a friend. Slevin was never brought before a judge nor was he officially convicted of any crime. He said he wrote letters, begging for help with his depression. The before and after photos show the effect the 22 months of neglect had.

"Why they did what they did, I'll never know," Slevin told KOB4-TV. "Walking by me, watching me deteriorate day after day after day, and they did nothing at all to get me help."
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http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/...181425242.html



Damn. Just damn.

The sad thing is, I can see how that could easily happen:

- Newly arrested inmate is put in a "temporary" holding cell which doubles as Secured Housing Unit (SHU) in smaller jails;
- Paperwork doesn't get filed, so he doesn't get into the system and nobody gets notified to move him to a longer-term housing area;
- Cries for help go unanswered (guards just assume mentally-ill trouble-maker is begging for attention), nobody listens...

Lucky they at least acknowledged him and fed him, there have been cases where detainees have been left in holding cells for days without food or water before detectives realized their error.