When the Governor’s Office announced immediate pay raises for state prison personnel on Thursday, Corrections Secretary Kellie Wasko praised Governor Kristi Noem for driving providing the “leadership” that has produced “tremendous progress in the past several months” in the Department of Corrections But Beth Warden reports this week’s pay raises came from a Sioux Falls businessman, DOC staff, and legislators meeting Wednesday and acting on information of just how little progress has been made:
A local businessman, who has family employed at the DOC, grew so concerned over Correction Officers’ safety that he organized a meeting. An unidentified group of bi-partisan South Dakota lawmakers and long-term DOC staff met on Wednesday.
Dakota News Now also contributed by sending communications from both Correctional Officers and inmates describing their concerns along with pleas to help [e]ffect change.
While there were many pressing topics addressed, such as mandatory overtime, reduced food quality, and growing tension with inmates spending more time in the cells day, a correctional officer who was there tells us the highest priority they collectively decided to address was the staffing shortage.
The officer describes the reaction of legislators hearing of the issues within the DOC, saying:
“Most of them were shocked to hear about the current conditions. I believe after the meeting, they were on their phones quite quickly, and then this announcement came about. I also know that Was[k]o has been pushing for these raises since the day she started. This is certainly a push in the right direction towards making a safer institution” [Beth Warden, “Raises for DOC Employees: The Backstory of How an Unidentified Group Created Change,” KSFY, 2022.08.19].
Warden says the participants in Wednesday’s provocative meeting don’t want their names in the press yet because they intend to meet again. But one of the involved legislators evidently serves on the Corrections Commission, which is chaired by Senator Troy Heinert (D-26/Mission) and includes Senator Mike Diedrich (R-34/Rapid City), Representative Shawn Bordeaux (D-26A/Mission), and Representative Kevin Jensen (R-16/Canton). That unnamed legislator says the Corrections Commission has been (Warden’s words) “kept in the dark with happenings at the DOC,” having to rely on reporting from Beth Warden, not the prison warden and the Noem Administration, for information about the prison system they are supposed to oversee.
Noem is weaponizing the jail system by increasing wages.
This secret cabal is operating without transparency and is a minority jamming this spending down the maw of the rest of us. When bipartisan legislators start having private meetings to decide public policy we are teetering at the extremity of the brink.
grudz – When the governess is more interested in her out-of-state travel dates than in actually governing, it is easy for palace coups to come afoot. Poor leadership -> rebellion. If anyone is “out of regular order” here – it the absentee governess.
Put some of that cash into Rehab programs to Keep Native American women out of that awful, unsafe prison system. Lots of disease and poor staffing issues. KN has got to go.
The Governor doesn’t know how to govern and, in this explosive situation, legislators have stepped in with a merited power play to avert disaster. Governor Noem conceded as she has other fish to fry.
This should make us all wonder (even more) what Kristi Noem is hiding.
What constitutes “governing.” I have seen politicians characerized as “weathervanes,” trying to appear to be the wind, as opposed to merely attempting to stay on the windward side of things.Whatever it is, I see no sign that Kristi cares about anything except the wind, and all she can capture is a hot day’s whirlwind. That was not a compliment, if you were wondering.
Why do we even need a Corrections Commission if some ad hoc group of unnamed legislators can act unilaterally? Does the Open Meeting Law not apply in this situation?
Just like the COVID crisis. Kristin didn’t know what to do so she did nothing. Others with problem solving skills stepped up and got something accomplished. Take a bow of consistency, Governor. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
These fellows are no different than a mob. We should just disband the Commission of Corrections and let a whiney mob rule the jails like in that movie with Mr. Plisskin.
They should build a giant wall around Sioux Falls right on that bicycle sidewalk they tout and then just let the criminals exist inside it in their own little society.
Fire all the whiney guards. Maybe hire about half back at double salary to patrol the walls with beast guns and flame throwers.
Interesting to note that Rep. Duba, a member of the Appropriations committee, learned of these changes through the press.
Interesting to note that Rep. Duba, a member of the Appropriations I committee, learned of these changes through the press.
No ‘I’ before committee. I do my best proofreading after I hit send.