This combination of two photos, both provided by the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Department in New Mexico, show Stephen Slevin, on the left, in Aug. 2005, at the time of his arrest for drunken driving, and on the right in May 2007, shortly before being released from solitary confinement. A federal jury has awarded $22 million to Slevin, a New Mexico man who was kept in solitary confinement for two years, and was even forced to pull his own tooth after his arrest for drunken driving in Dona Ana County.
The original award was for $22M, and Slevin eventually accepted $15.5M.
Read the Huffpost story and see video here.
And what’s REALLY interesting is that no county officials have been held accountable for this!
Wrongful Convictions Blog 
Perhaps the county will be more careful with defendants in the future .
9,500,000/22/210,477/30.42 ≈ 6.7¢ per day per resident
It’s horrible that this could happen in this country:(. Thank you for drawing attention to it.
Lack of oversight of these political appointees and elected politicians is responsible for atrosities such as this man. Most have little or no qualification for the position they hold and have unlimited power to make decisions far greater than their level of expertise. They are immune from prosecution for criminal behavior; they are above the law.
Until an unelected oversight committee is formed that is immune from government influence – these atrocities will continue. God bless this man and may he live a long life to enjoy the award he so deserves.
Reblogged this on The 201010 blog.