Pennington County Public Defender’s Office

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

Task force: Young adults up to 25 need special attention from courts, corrections

BY: - November 2, 2023

People between 18 and 25 years old are more likely to commit crimes, get arrested and lose momentum in their emerging adult lives as a result. Early intervention and structured support can help keep them out of the justice system altogether. At least that’s what criminal justice research suggests. Juvenile justice report: More delinquent kids […]

The Brown County Courthouse is located in Aberdeen and is connected to other county offices, such as the Auditor's Office and the Brown County Jail. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

Booze tax should help pay county legal bills, state senator says

BY: - September 25, 2023

Liquor, beer and wine might offer relief to counties stuck paying for alcohol’s impact on public safety, if a recommendation from a public defense task force becomes law. Sen. Jim Mehlhaff, R-Pierre, would like to see the state dedicate its half of the $18 million collected in alcohol taxes to finance the creation and operation […]

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

Task force recommends creation of state public defender’s office

BY: - July 31, 2023

A task force studying the cost of public defense costs to South Dakota counties has concluded that a state public defender’s office could ease the burden. A seven-person office would cost the state around $1.4 million a year under a rough outline of its duties presented Monday during a virtual meeting of the Indigent Legal […]

Chief Justice Steven Jensen addresses the South Dakota Legislature in Pierre on Jan. 11, 2023. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

South Dakota set to scrutinize its approach to court-appointed attorneys

BY: - January 31, 2023

The state of South Dakota may soon form a team to examine the way it assigns and pays its court-appointed lawyers. Lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee signed off Tuesday on a bill that would create a public defense task force in South Dakota, adding an emergency clause that would allow work to begin immediately […]