When Stephen Slevin was arrested he had no idea what was in store for him. He was incarcerated, forgotten, and left in deplorable conditions in solitary confinement for two years before being released.
Slevin was arrested in August of 2005 for a charge of DWI and possession of a stolen vehicle. It later turned out that the car belonged to Slevin’s friend.
Nonetheless, he was placed in the Dona Ana County Jail in New Mexico. When his captors discovered that he was depressed they accused him of being suicidal. That accusation forced Slevin into a padded cell for three days. After the three days Slevin was transferred to solitary confinement near the U.S. Mexican border without any explanation. It was apparently a policy to transfer inmates with mental problems to solitary confinement.
Slevin remained in solitary for the next 22 months. He was occasionally allowed out of his cell for an hour a day. His medical needs were completely neglected. His toenails grew so long that they curled under his feet. He was refused dental care and at one point had to extract his own tooth because of an infection. Slevin also had lung cancer which went untreated. He lost a significant amount of weight, developed bedsores, had rotting teeth, suffered from nightmares, and had fungus growing on his face. When he finally emerged from his captivity his hair was growing wildly out of control.
Throughout this whole ordeal, Slevin was never charged with anything. He requested an attorney or a judge, but his pleas were ignored. He wrote numerous letters requesting help to a nurse, however, Slevin simply received an increased dosage of sedatives in response.
His family, who had little money and lived on the other side of the country, initially thought that Slevin was simply ignoring them. In 2007, when they eventually discovered what was happening, they complained to officials until he was released. He was never indicted.
Slevin brought suit for violation of his due process rights. The jury awarded him $22 million in damages. To prevent an appeal, Slevin settled with the State for $15.5 million. That sum is one of the highest civil rights payouts in U.S. history.
Slevin is reported to be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and will likely take medication for the rest of his life.