Stephen Slevin was arrested for drink-driving in August 2005, placed in isolation, and forgotten for almost 2 years. He spent 22 months in jail without a trial, deteriorating so badly he pulled out his own rotting tooth. He hadn’t been convicted. He was still waiting for his case to be heard. Inside New Mexico’s Doña Ana County jail, he wrote requests for medical help as his mental health deteriorated. He became malnourished. Bedsores and fungus developed on his body. His toenails grew so long they curled under his toes. In June 2007, the charges were dropped and he was released. A federal jury awarded him $22 million in 2012. After the county challenged the verdict, he accepted a $15.5 million settlement in 2013. “Walking by me, watching me deteriorate day after day after day,” he said, “and they did nothing at all to get me help.”