South Dakota will hire more parole officers, expand monitoring to nights and weekends, and make it easier to send people on parole back to prison, Gov. Larry Rhoden announced this week.
Five parole officers will be assigned to an enhanced compliance unit, Rhoden announced in a Thursday news release, and five new officers will be hired to backfill those positions.
South Dakota honored fallen officers during the state’s annual Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony in Pierre.
Attorney General Marty Jackley is encouraging South Dakotans to remember the officers who have died in the line of duty since 1884.
Continue reading “Annual event in Pierre recognizes more than 70 officers killed in line of duty”
Republican legislative leaders and Gov. Kim Reynolds celebrated the approval of many of their priorities for the 2026 legislative session on issues including property taxes, crime and healthcare as lawmakers wrapped up their work for the year.
Over the weekend, lawmakers sent a $9.6 billion state budget to the governor’s desk, as well as legislation restricting access to abortion-inducing medication by requiring the drugs to be prescribed in person.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that the South Dakota Supreme Court has affirmed the conviction and sentence of Lucian Celestine for attempted threat of felony terrorism. He had been convicted in Pennington County after making threats to President Donald Trump and taking steps toward carrying out those threats.
“Threats against the President of the United States and public officials are taken seriously,” said Attorney General Jackley. “We will continue to prosecute individuals who seek to harm or intimidate public officials and their families.”
Two police officers involved in a shootout with a suspect in 2024 can have their names protected from public view to prevent someone from potentially locating or harassing the officer or their families, according to a ruling Thursday by the South Dakota Supreme Court that reversed a lower court’s decision.
Justices ruled that Marsy’s Law, a state constitutional amendment approved by South Dakota voters to protect victims of crimes, applies to police officers.
Continue reading “Supreme Court rules officer names can be kept secret”
Lawyers for the recently created Office of Indigent Legal Services delivered their first oral arguments before the South Dakota Supreme Court on Tuesday in Pierre.
It was a watershed moment for the state’s public defense agency, a $1.5 million, five-attorney operation that the state court system’s leaders expect to deliver a net savings to taxpayers and improved legal services for South Dakotans who have the right to a lawyer but can’t afford one.
Early and absentee voting for the June 2 primary election will be delayed, several election officials in South Dakota said Wednesday.
Early voting is supposed to begin on Friday, but some county auditors across the state alerted the public this week of the delay. No one knew how long the delay will be, but said they hope it will not last longer than April 24.
The delay is due to a shortened window this year between the deadline for candidates to file their nominating petitions and the beginning of early voting.
Continue reading “Early voting for the June 2 election will be delayed, election officials say”
The U.S. attorney’s office for the District of South Dakota brought in more than $9.5 million in fiscal year 2025 through fines, restitution, forfeitures and other enforcement efforts, according to U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons.
In total, the office collected just over $9.5 million and helped recover another $16.7 million working with other U.S. attorneys’ offices and Department of Justice partners.
The League of Women Voters of North Dakota is coordinating with state agencies and jails to make sure people with criminal records know their voting rights.
Under state law, North Dakota residents cannot vote while incarcerated for a felony. They can vote after they’re released, however, as long as they meet all other requirements. People can also vote if they’re serving time for a misdemeanor, or if they’ve been charged but not convicted.
Continue reading “Can felons vote in North Dakota? Democracy group seeks to dispel misconceptions”
A new study from the Justice Center has found that South Dakota’s recidivism rate, the percentage of convicted criminals who reoffend, is the ninth highest in the country, with up to 50% of offenders committing new crimes after release. The state is one of 14 across the U.S. that saw its recidivism rate increase from 2011 to 2021, raising concerns from law enforcement about the challenges of repeat offenders.
Continue reading “South Dakota Recidivism Rate Ranks 9th Highest in US”