Cancer-stricken man, 58, who was kept in solitary confinement for TWO YEARS with no trial after DWI arrest is finally awarded $15m after prison appealed payout



Stephen Slevin was ignored by guards and forced to pull his own tooth out after he wasn't allowed to see a dentist at Dona Ana County jail



His settlement is one of the largest federal civil rights settlements in history involving an inmate

A man who spent two years in solitary confinement after being arrested for drunk driving has finally received a $15million settlement, one of the largest federal civil rights awards in history involving an inmate.

Stephen Slevin, 58, from New Mexico, sued after Dona Ana County jail essentially forgot about him between 2005 and 2007 following his arrest for driving while intoxicated.

During his incarceration, Slevin was forced to pull out his own tooth because he was denied dental care by guards and developed bedsores.



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Ordeal: Stephen Slevin, pictured left near the time of his release, was held in solitary confinement for two years in New Mexico and forced to pull out his own tooth. He looked remarkably different in August 2005, at the time of his arrest for drunken driving



He had originally been in line for $22million for the violation of his constitutional rights last January but Dona Ana county appealed the verdict.



Mr Slevin's civil rights attorney Matt Coyte told NBC on Wednesday: 'His 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.'

Mr Coyte said that his client had shown great courage throughout the trial.



Mr Slevin, who is battling lung cancer, is to receive $6million this week and the rest of the money will come in installments.



At his original trial last year in Santa Fe, Mr Slevin said it was never about the money for him but more about sending a message that prisoners should be treated more humanely.

He suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder stemming from what he says was physical and mental mistreatment by corrections officials.

Justice: Stephen Slevin, pictured in 2012, said it was never about the money for him but more about making a statement that it was not acceptable to treat prisoners in this way

Mr Slevin was arrested in August 2005 and charged with driving while intoxicated and receiving a stolen vehicle near Las Cruces.



His lawyer said that, due to his history of mental illness, he was placed into solitary confinement.



Mr Coyte revealed it was here that his client started to deteriorated. He said: 'They threw him in solitary and then ignored him.

'He disappeared into delirium, and his mental illness was made worse by being isolated from human contact and a lack of medical care.'

While Mr Slevin was in solitary confinement, his toenails grew so long they began to curl around his feet, he developed bedsores, fungus and dental problems and lost a lot of weight, according to the lawsuit.

He was eventually released after 22 months as a pre-trial detainee and the charges against him were dismissed.

It was upon his release that he filed the lawsuit, claiming his rights of due process were violated since he was not given a hearing before being placed in solitary confinement.

Battle: Civil rights attorney Matt Coyte said that his client had shown great courage through his case against the Dona Ana county prison system

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