crime in South Dakota

Rep. Tim Reisch, R-Howard, speaks on the floor of the South Dakota House of Representatives during the 2023 legislative session at the Capitol in Pierre. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

House backs ‘truth in sentencing’

BY: - February 28, 2023

PIERRE — A bill to upend the state’s parole system for violent offenders is one step from the governor’s desk. A majority of the House of Representatives went against the pleas of a former Department of Corrections secretary and the House Majority leader on Tuesday and passed Senate Bill 146, dubbed a “truth in sentencing” […]

The South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls, as seen on Jan. 9, 2023. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

Lawmakers want to ditch criminal justice cost estimates

BY: - January 9, 2023

For nearly a decade, the state’s Legislative Research Council (LRC) has produced prison-jail cost estimates for bills that would impact the inmate population. This session, lawmakers will be asked to repeal the law that requires them. At least one of the law’s initial backers says that’s a bad idea for taxpayers. House Bill 1003, the […]

An equal justice statue sits outside the doors of the Minnehaha County Courthouse in Sioux Falls. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

Drug crimes, violent crimes drop for 2021 in South Dakota

BY: - December 30, 2022

Drug arrests have dropped 25% in South Dakota over the past five years. That’s one of the major takeaways from “Crime In South Dakota 2021,” the annual report from the state Attorney General’s Office that aims to compile arrest reports from all state law enforcement agencies. The 2021 report includes data from 101 agencies, representing […]