The Legislative Research Council has released prison population data for April 2018. The state penitentiary in Sioux Falls had 4% more prisoners than projected in the Fiscal Year 2018 budget, but every other state correctional facility was housing fewer convicts than budgeted:
In April we had 3,806 people behind state bars, just one more than we had in the can in April 2017.
Counting work release and other alternative correctional situations, we’ve been cuffing and stuffing more South Dakotans since October 2015:
Since April 2017, we’ve put more men and women in prison for drug offenses and more men for violent crimes. Drug offenders make up 65% of the female inmate population and 27% of the male inmate population. The largest portion of the male inmate population—48%—consists of violent offenders.
Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken may boost the number of drug offenders behind bars. Yesterday he announced that he is moving two Sioux Falls Police Department officers from patrol to the joint Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force to increase the number of drug busts:
Right now, the drug task force, TenHaken said, primarily focuses identifying and arresting high level drug dealers – the dealers who supply low-level drug peddlers – and have little time in their budget to follow-up on tips that might deal with more low level offenders.
“If you called in and said ‘I think they’re selling meth out of this house,’ the drug task force guys are focused on king pin stuff, they can’t go sit and do a stake out to find out if that’s case,’” TenHaken said.
But with two officers being taken from their general patrol duties and redirected to the Narcotics Crime Unit, TenHaken is hopeful the community will see even more progress on holding drug dealers accountable for bringing narcotics into the city. Those additional officers will work closely with the general drug task force, which the city already dedicates a lieutenant, a sergeant and six officers to [Joe Sneve, “Sioux Falls Mayor TenHaken Promises More Drug Seizures in the Months Ahead,” that Sioux Falls paper, 2018.06.04].
Go ahead, bust those dealers. But we can’t stifle supply without decreasing demand. TO that end, the Legislature’s Rules Review Committee narrowly approved adding treatment for drug abuse to the services available to all Medicaid recipients:
Voting to accept broader substance abuse service within the current Medicaid population Monday were Rep. Jean Hunhoff, R-Yankton; Sen. Craig Kennedy, D-Yankton; and Sen. Alan Solano, R-Rapid City.
“This expansion does not increase the number of Medicaid eligible,” said Hunhoff, who chairs the panel.
There are reasons people are addicted to drugs and alcohol, Hunhoff said. “So it’s a matter of semantics. It’s a matter of how you look at it.”
Opposing the change were Rep. Steven Haugaard, R-Sioux Falls, and Sen. Lance Russell, R-Hot Springs. Haugaard said a concern was the Legislature didn’t specifically approve the expansion.
Haugaard and Russell said providing a service to more people through a rule change was an expansion.
…Based on an estimate of potential users, the change would cost the federal government $1,127,795 and state government $872,905 during the budget year, according to a department document [Bob Mercer, “South Dakota Lawmakers Divided over Medicaid Expansion,” Rapid City Journal, updated 2018.06.05].
Strange: given that unemployment is associated with drug abuse, one would think that South Dakota’s 3.4% unemployment rate would correlate with lower drug use in our fine state. Could persistently low wages have something to do with increasing use of meth and other drugs?
How many prisoners have/had connections to corruption in Pierre? Let me guess, its a number between +1 and -1.
This should include a look at education; our state funding priorities. Persons who continue/finish their education are less likely to use/distribute. You are right. To focus on dealers and side-step rehabilitation for users would prove futile. Job creation is important. Drug dealing must be lucrative. Imprisoning people is not the answer. Costs of this vs. costs of rehabilitation and education should be reviewed.
If TenHaken is going to arrest more drug dealers, we’re going to have to build another prison. I wish TenHaken would read Freakonomics, the chapter “Why Drug Dealers Live With Their Moms”. (Hint: Most drug dealers are drug addicts who are selling just enough to get them their next fix. Very few “Mr. Bigs” in South Dakota.) Meanwhile, the Sioux Falls prison is already full, and I mean to overflowing.
Let me go out on a policy limb: if kids grow up in financially and emotionally stable families, if our public schools serve every child well, if we have a sustainably growing economy with competitive wages at every level, and if we reduce economic and political inequality—i.e., if all citizens feel they have equal opportunity to participate in economic and civic life and feel a sense of command of their own destinies rather than control by special interests—we will see less drug and alcohol abuse and all the externalities associated therewith.
I invite evidence to the contrary.
Ain’t is amazin’ that the prison population ISN’T factored into the unemployment rate ??
What Cory said.
Buckobear! I hadn’t thought about that statistical point. So if we have a civilian labor force of 460,000, and we have 3,800 people behind bars and counted them as unemployed, our unemployment rate would actually be over 4.1%.
Look North for some potential solutions – the Justice reinvestment initative has placed $7 million in general funds to decrease the prison population by having independent case managers tailored to individual needs.
The SUD voucher program covers the gap in SUD treatment insurance coverage and covers the uninsured, underinsured, and Medicaid clients. It also covers individuals who are incarcerated so high quality treatment programs can be brought into provide services in county jails. Remove the barriers, replace them with support, and the results will be much more promising than further criminalization.
I was recently released from SD prison system. I have a college education, and had some very good jobs, but made a huge mistake that cost me just about everything. I have never used drugs, but from what I see and heard in the SD prison system, stopping drugs outside of prison is as about as hard as it is to stop the drugs inside the prison. I was at a Minimum Unit for 3 years and there wasnt a day where you couldnt get your hands on some sort of drugs. You stop one dealer on the outside, 2 more pop up on another side. These guys don’t care, all they are gettin is 5 yr sentence go to Jameson for 30 days and end up at a minimum unit and they start getting drugs in there. Its never ending. The prison system is all about money. They fine you for everything. When asked where that money goes, nobody has an answer, even the guards would try to find out from the Unite Manger and she wouldn’t tell them, so they quit doing write ups so that inmates wouldn’t get fined anymore. SD Prison system is as corrupt as they come, and nobody hears about it or does anything about it.
It appears that there is no limit to the depth or breadth of rot in SD politics. Huey Long is probably “dying” with envy.
Ted, is that you? Mr. Klaudt?
My mistake, Mr. Ted. You clarified you have a college education. Not Mr. Klaudt. But sincerely best wishes to you. Keep your nose clean, young man, work harder and enjoy the fruits of your labors. Register Republican, and keep what you earn.