South Dakota Inmate Records

South Dakota's incarceration rate of 370 per 100,000 residents is higher than the national average of 355 per 100,000 persons. This rate includes offenders confined in state-run correctional facilities and local jails. On average, about 3,444 inmates serve their prison sentences in state-operated prisons, while an estimated 1,500 are held in local jails. Similarly, approximately 515 inmates are incarcerated in the federal prison operating in the state.

In South Dakota, inmate records are kept by multiple government agencies. Each agency in charge of a correctional facility is largely responsible for maintaining the records of all the inmates incarcerated in its facility. The prison authority at the state level generally oversees multiple state correctional facilities and keeps up-to-date records in those facilities, while each jail at the local level is run by a different government authority, which also keeps records of inmates held in the jail facilities.

A typical South Dakota inmate record will contain the following information:

• Personal Information - This includes an inmate's name, race, gender, date of birth, height, weight, hair color, eye color, and aliases.
• Arrest Information - This includes charges, the date of the arrest, the place of the arrest, details of the arresting agency, booking details, and the arrest warrant.
• Parole and Release Details - These include information regarding parole eligibility, parole office, parole status, and the expected release date.
• Conviction Details - These include the sentence date, sentence length, crime committed, and the county of conviction.
• Booking Key Dates - These include the initial parole date, good time release date, next review date, and term expiry date.
• Court Details - These include trial details, the case number, court orders, judgment, and fines.

Are Inmate Records Public in South Dakota?

Per the South Dakota Sunshine Law, except as otherwise expressly provided by another statute, all records and documents belonging to the state or any of its agencies at all levels are considered public records. Hence, inmate records are public information and may be examined or copied by anyone in the state. However, not all inmate records are open to the general public. Any inmate record that, if released, would constitute an unreasonable release of personal information.

All sealed or expunged inmate records, as well as juvenile inmate records in South Dakota, are exempt from public disclosure. Furthermore, records regarding inmate disciplinary matters are typically not accessible to the public. Also, any portion of an inmate record containing information precluded from public disclosure is often redacted from the record before releasing it. For instance, medical records, financial information, social security numbers, and driver's license numbers are usually redacted from inmate records.

What Agencies Are Responsible for Inmate Records in South Dakota?

Several government agencies, including the following, oversee South Dakota correctional facilities and/or maintain inmate information or records in the state:

• The South Dakota Department of Corrections (DOC) - The South Dakota Department of Corrections (DOC) manages the state's adult prison system as well as the juvenile corrections system and the adult parole system. It provides housing for felony offenders sentenced to incarceration exceeding one year in all 8 correctional facilities in the state and maintains detailed records of such offenders. In addition, the DOC contracts with 3 local facilities where offenders committed to custody by the courts are confined.
• Police Departments - In South Dakota, the local police departments maintain records of all arrests made in their locality. Some of these arrests lead to the arrestees' convictions and then end up becoming a part of their records as inmates. However, no police department in the state keeps inmates in custody like prisons or jails
• County Sheriff's Offices - The county sheriff's offices are responsible for the smooth running of the 24 local jails across South Dakota and maintaining the records of all inmates in their custody. These jails hold offenders who have been convicted of misdemeanors or some mild felonies, whose sentence will run for at most one year. Individuals awaiting trials are also housed in the state's local jails.
• Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) - There is only one federal prison in South Dakota. It is managed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), a federal government agency, which is also responsible for maintaining the records of convicted offenders housed in the federal prison operating in the state. Inmates housed in this prison are largely those convicted of violating federal laws in the state. However, persons awaiting trial for violating federal laws are also held in federal prisons.

How To Search an Inmate's Information in South Dakota

Anyone searching for an inmate's information in South Dakota may check either a local, state, or federal correctional facility in the state. However, identifying the exact prison or jail where an inmate is incarcerated will help narrow the search efforts.

Find an inmate in the South Dakota State Prisons

When searching for an inmate's information in a South Dakota state prison, the first place to look is the state's DOC Offender Locator, a database containing information regarding felony offenders sentenced to state correctional facilities. The Offender Locator allows inmate search by DOC number or inmate's name, and the search result often includes personal information, booking dates, conviction details, and sentencing information. A greater part of inmate information retrieved from the DOC Offender Locator is from court records provided to the state's Department of Corrections.

To obtain more detailed records of any inmate housed in a South Dakota state prison, an interested person may visit the correctional facility where the inmate is incarcerated. While at the facility, the record custodian will require them to provide certain information to help locate the file of the inmate whose detailed record they seek. Such information will largely include the inmate's name, date of birth, DOC number (if known), and the admission date.

Find an Inmate in Local Jail

The majority of local jails in South Dakota offer public access to information regarding inmates in their custody through online inmate search tools managed by the county sheriff's offices in charge of the jail facilities. The inmate search resources are typically featured on the county sheriff's websites and largely allow users to use inmates' names, numbers, date of birth, and other information as search criteria. However, inmate information retrieved using these tools is often limited.

Anyone looking to find comprehensive information regarding an offender serving a term in a South Dakota local jail may consider going to the correctional facility where the inmate is held. With information such as the inmate's name, booking date, gender, and date of birth, the record custodian should be able to find the inmate's file and disclose the required records or information to the requester.

Find an Inmate in Federal Prison

Information about inmates housed in federal prisons, including Yankton FPC, the only federal correctional facility in South Dakota, may be accessed through the BOP Inmate Locator. The inmate locator allows users to retrieve inmate information using their name or BOP register number as the search criterion. After entering the available search parameter in the appropriate field, click the "Search" button. The result will include a list of records matching the search criterion.

Alternatively, interested persons may obtain detailed information about federal inmates confined in Yankton FPC by visiting the prison facility at:

How Can I Access Old Inmate Records?

The South Dakota DOC Offender Locator has information about discharged inmates. However, such information is usually limited to personal details, the date of discharge, and a few other details. Most other inmate search tools managed by the county sheriff's offices in the state generally provide information regarding inmates who are currently in custody only.

A good way to find records of former inmates in South Dakota is by looking up the State Archives. Interested persons may contact the Archives at (605) 773-3804 to inquire if it has their records of interest on file. For old inmates who served their prison sentences in the state's only federal prisons, anyone may check the National Archives, as it may have such records in its database.

While the Archives are usually recommended resources to begin any search for old inmate records in South Dakota, members of the public may also consider using reliable third-party sites like SouthDakotapublicrecords.us. Typically, these sites collate public records, including inmate records, from credible sources and keep them in their databases, where they remain permanently and may be accessed by anyone, although at a small cost.

Individuals who wish to obtain detailed records of previously incarcerated persons (old inmates) in South Dakota have two options. They may either visit the correctional facilities where such inmates served their prison/jail sentences or submit public record requests to the relevant government agency. For an in-person request, a person must be able to provide the record custodian with basic information that can help facilitate the search. Furthermore, a public record request for old inmate information may also be submitted to the state's Department of Corrections online through South Dakota's Citizen Portal. Similarly, interested persons may submit FOIA requests to the BOP to obtain information about former inmates who were incarcerated in federal prisons in the state.

Can I Find a South Dakota Inmate Record for Free?

All the prison/jail authorities in South Dakota offer free public access to records of inmates under their jurisdiction through varying online inmate search tools. Each tool provides information regarding inmates held in correctional facilities managed by each prison or jail authority. However, anyone who wishes to access inmate records, regardless of where an inmate is held in the state, may use the services of third-party sites like SouthDakotapublicrecords.us. These sites provide access to all inmate records across all the correctional facilities in the state at a fee, and each is like a one-stop database for inmate information.

Jails and Prisons in South Dakota

Each correctional facility in South Dakota is classified as one of the following based on how they are operated and managed:

• State Prisons - Any correctional facility categorized as a state prison in South Dakota is managed by the state's Department of Corrections (DOC). There are 8 DOC-operated correctional facilities in the state, each defined by security level (level I to level V).
• Local Jails - South Dakota has 24 local jails managed by county sheriff's offices and spread across the state's 66 counties. Counties with no local jail typically contract with others to incarcerate offenders convicted of varying misdemeanor offenses within their locality.
• Federal Prisons - There is only one federal correctional facility in South Dakota. It is managed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).

State Prisons in South Dakota

The state-run prisons in South Dakota are listed below:

Private Prisons in South Dakota

No private prisons operate in South Dakota.

South Dakota Inmate Statistics

• South Dakota Incarceration Rate - 370 per 100,000 residents
• Male Incarceration Rate - 618 per 100,000 males
• Female Incarceration Rate - 114 per 100,000 females
• Youth Custody Rate - 99 per 100,000 youths
• Number of Prisoners in Private Prisons - 0
• Black/White Imprisonment Disparity - 5.9:1
• Latino/White Imprisonment Disparity - 1.5:1
• Number of offenders under community supervision - 1,306 per 100,000 people
• Number on probation - 840 per 100,000 people
• Number on parole - 485 per 100,000 people
• Felony Disenfranchisement Rate - 1.9%

* Source: United States Bureau of Justice Statistics