Brad Lewandowski

The Statewide Facility Plan for the South Dakota Department of Corrections aims to provide a roadmap for meeting current and future facility demands. It addresses the challenge of growing prison populations, staffing inefficiencies, and the need for improved facilities to provide contemporary care and rehabilitation opportunities. The plan recommends constructing a new 1,372-bed Multi Custody Correctional Facility to replace the SDSP and alleviate pressure on MDSP, along with decentralizing the female population by establishing new Community Work Centers in Sioux Falls and Rapid City. These actions are intended to enhance specialized care for inmates with various needs, improve operational efficiencies, and better connect inmates with their families and communities.

This document outlines the South Dakota Department of Corrections' updated plan for future bedspace capacity needs. It includes updated data from August 2022 and projections through 2041, incorporating factors like population growth, demographic shifts, crime rates, and internal factors such as re-entry programming and average length of stay. The plan forecasts the need for increased bed space for both male and female inmates and recommends a review every 5 years to adjust for unanticipated changes.

The 2025 Strategic Plan for the South Dakota Department of Corrections focuses on three main goals: decreasing adult and juvenile recidivism, decreasing staff turnover, and increasing the rate of completions for referred educational programs. Key measures include reducing technical parole violations, implementing updated treatment protocols, increasing offender access to identification, fully implementing assessment tools, establishing wellness committees, creating chaplain positions, and ensuring contact standards are met for educational and treatment classes.

This 2021-2023 Formula Grants Program Three Year Plan for the South Dakota Department of Corrections outlines strategies to improve the state's juvenile justice system. Key areas of focus include maintaining compliance with the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), reducing disproportionate minority contact, addressing the needs of Native American youth, implementing statewide delinquency prevention programs, and reducing the state's high juvenile incarceration rate. The plan details specific goals, objectives, and activities across various program areas, such as community-based alternatives to incarceration, compliance monitoring, community-based programs and services, graduated sanctions, expanding probation officer programs, and juvenile justice and delinquency prevention. The plan emphasizes evidence-based practices, trauma-informed approaches, and collaboration with Native American Tribes and other stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes for youth and families.

The South Dakota Corrections Commission discussed various topics, including potential summer study topics such as regional jails, prisons, and juvenile justice; the procedural flow of offender sentencing; funding for a new prison facility; and the possibility of contracting with local facilities to alleviate overcrowding. The commission approved the acquisition of a Latex 800 printer for Pheasantland Industries to improve inmate reintegration and increase revenue. Two new policies were established for Pheasantland Industries, one outlining business management and the other defining payment procedures. The commission also reviewed the progress of license plate re-issuance and approved the "Pierre Pups" program, a dog daycare and grooming service at the South Dakota Women's Prison. Additional discussions included plans for a new male facility, staffing concerns, updates on the volunteer program, and addressing public concerns regarding parolees. The commission also discussed treatment and sentencing structures, including the resistance of new offenders to treatment programs and the need for culturally relevant programming.