Hmmmmmm… Police State? đŻ
John Cole over at Balloon Juice asks “How can stuff like this happen?”
Good question….
The Video:
The Story via MSNBC:
A New Mexico man who said he was forced to pull his own tooth while in solitary confinement because he was denied access to a dentist has been awarded $22 million due to inhumane treatment by New Mexico’s Dona Ana County Jail.
Stephen Slevin was arrested in August of 2005 for driving while intoxicated, then thrown in jail for two years. He was in solitary at Dona Ana County Jail for his entire sentence and basically forgotten about and never given a trial, he told NBC station KOB.com Tuesday night.
“[Jail guards were] walking by me every day, watching me deteriorate,” Slevin said. “Day after day after day, they did nothing, nothing at all, to get me any help.”
Slevin’s medical problems extended beyond his dental issues, he said. His toenails started curling around his foot because they were so long, he told KOB.com. And his countless requests to see a doctor for depression medication were ignored, he said.
He said his lawsuit “has never been about the money. I’ve always wanted this to make a statement.”
The $22 million settlement, awarded by a federal jury Tuesday, is one of the largest prisoner civil rights settlements in U.S. history, according to KOB.com.
A very good question, how does that happen? Of course, the Ron Paul people think he is only answer to such things. Something I find to be very humorous; seeing Paul is all about “States Rights.”