Man neglected in jail who pulled own tooth awared $22 million verdict

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/nm-man-pulled-own-tooth-jail-awarded-22m-224826036.html

"A federal jury has awarded $22 million to a New Mexico man who was kept in solitary confinement for two years and forced to pull his own tooth after being arrested for drunken driving in Dona Ana County."

"Slevin was arrested while driving through the southern New Mexico county in August 2005. He ended up in solitary confinement because he was suffering from depression and someone checked a box on a form indicating he was suicidal, Coyte said."

"He immediately decompensates," Coyte said. "He sends off another letter at this point asking for medical care. ... He is forced to pull his own tooth. He rocked it back and forth over a period of eight hours before he was able to pull it out of his mouth."

Slevin was finally released in June 2007, Coyte said. He was never convicted.

"He entered this facility with overt symptoms of mental depression," Coyte said. "But that's not the issue. ... He was stuck in a 6-foot-by-11-foot cell with a concrete bench for a bed. And he sat in that cell. We had documentary evidence that he didn't get out for anything — for recreation, a shower — for months at a time.""

While you do have a right to a speedy trial, there is no magic cut off time. Generally, in New Hampshire, a delay of 9 months is presumed prejudicial. As you can see by all the comments on yahoo, the public generally finds it outrageous an innocent man, who is only accused, is put through a two year wait with minimal to no access to a lawyer or to the Judge/Court.