A man from New Mexico who was forced to spend nearly two years behind bars, much of which was in solitary confinement, was recently awarded $15.5 million in arbitration from the county responsible for his horrific mistreatment.
The case, which took place in Dona Ana County, NM, revealed just how horrible things can go awry when someone slips between the cracks of the criminal justice system. The man, Stephen Slevin, was arrested back in 2005 after being pulled over by an officer who suspected he was driving drunk. Slevin was then taken to Dona Ana County jail and booked. Soon after, Slevin was placed in solitary confinement because prison administrators believed he was mentally unstable and may pose a danger to himself and others. The solitary confinement went on for 22 months, including several stretches where Slevin was not allowed to leave his cell for months at a time.
The man's time in prison was a nightmare, something that is unimaginable given he was only arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, hardly a crime worthy of such ghastly treatment. During his time in solitary confinement his health was so neglected that he developed bedsores, had fungus growing on his skin, had toenails that curled under his feet and suffered from a bad tooth infection which caused him to have to pull his own tooth without anesthesia. While all this was going on Slevin wrote several letters to prison administrators begging them to release him or to at least give him help for his severe depression. Sadly, no help came and Slevin wasted away, losing 50 pounds over the time he spent behind bars.
Even more amazing than his horrific treatment is that Slevin was never brought before a judge or convicted of having done anything wrong. His prison stay took place only after an arrest, nothing more. It was only after his release in 2007 that he sought an attorney who pursued Dona Ana County for the money it owed Slevin for such disturbing care.
Slevin was initially awarded $22 million from a jury, but later agreed to the reduced amount to end the already lengthy litigation with his former captors. Dona Ana County had tried to highlight Slevin's previous criminal record, including other DUI convictions, to deflect attention away from its actions. The fact is that no prior criminal behavior justifies the way Slevin was treated. Thankfully, the case serves as a message to other law enforcement agencies across the country and here in Missouri to avoid trampling on a suspect's rights. Though Slevin will never get those two years of his life back, we can hope that the millions he was awarded will send a strong enough message so that no one else arrested on suspicion of drunk driving has to endure such horrible treatment again.
If you've had a run in with the law and find yourself in need of a Missouri DWI defense lawyer capable of aggressively protecting your interests, contact our St. Louis DWI law firm today at (314) 863-0500.
Source: "Man left in solitary confinement in New Mexico jail for 22 MONTHS after horrific treatment awarded $15.5M," by Erik Ortiz, published at NYDailyNews.com.
See Our Related Blog Posts:Missouri Measure Makes Refusing To Submit To Breath Test A CrimeWill Missouri move towards mandatory ignition interlock devices for DWI offenders?
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
↧