Criminal justice has emerged as one of the most wide-ranging and politically charged areas on lawmakers’ agendas in this year’s state legislative sessions. Across the country, legislators are weighing proposals that affect nearly every part of the criminal justice system, including policing, gun policy, solving crimes, sentencing, prison oversight and reentry support.

The breadth of legislation reflects how deeply crime policy intersects with daily life, shaping public safety, civil rights, state spending and the scope of law enforcement. It also comes amid a shifting national conversation about crime itself. While violent crime rose during the pandemic, recent data shows declines in many categories, despite continued public concern.

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South Dakota Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden signed a bill into law Monday that makes it a felony crime to create, possess or share computer-generated “deepfakes” of unwilling people in states of nudity or engaging in pornographic acts.

The bill was one of 11 public safety bills Rhoden signed Monday.

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The South Dakota Supreme Court has ruled in a 5-0 decision that a man named David Streeter was justified in shooting and killing Kelly Anderson in 2024 under the state’s ‘stand your ground’ self-defense laws. The court said Streeter had the right to be in his home and was not engaged in any criminal activities at the time of the shooting.

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Starting July 1, tribal police helping their state or local counterparts will be recognized as law enforcement officers under South Dakota law.

Gov. Larry Rhoden signed House Bill 1007 and other public safety and public welfare-related bills into law on Monday.

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The Iowa House approved several bills Wednesday that are part of House GOP’s “tough on crime” package introduced earlier in the session, including a measure requiring a 20-year minimum prison sentence for repeat offenders.

House File 2542 was one of the major proposals put forward by House Republicans in January that aims to prevent “career criminals” from committing crimes in Iowa. The bill would create a “three strikes” system for committing certain crimes, in which a person would be subject to a minimum 20-year prison sentence if they accumulate three “points” under the system.

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Two bills to regulate digital currency in South Dakota are on their way to Gov. Larry Rhoden’s desk after supportive votes in both chambers of the legislature.

One bill is meant to curb scams involving digital currency kiosks; the other would define cryptocurrency as a seizable asset.

U.S. citizens lost $9.3 billion in crypto assets in 2025, Attorney General Marty Jackley told lawmakers in the House Judiciary Committee in support of the latter bill. South Dakotans were scammed out of $13.8 million in digital currency that year, he said.

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The Supreme Court hears arguments Monday in an important gun case that has united an array of strange bedfellows, from conservative gun rights groups to liberal civil liberties groups. At issue is a federal law making it a crime for drug users to possess a firearm. It’s the same law that was used to prosecute then-President Joe Biden’s son for illegal gun possession — only this case involves marijuana use and gun ownership.

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Could a North Dakota law that makes it illegal for people to conceal their identities in certain situations also apply to masked immigration agents?

One University of North Dakota School of Law professor says yes — though he noted part of the law presents serious First Amendment concerns.

Steven Morrison, who teaches criminal law, said they could be charged with the crime “if it were to be found that ICE agents are out there essentially intending to violate the law and wearing masks with the intent to conceal their identities.”

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The average American is estimated to commit multiple felonies a day without knowing it. This isn’t a punchline or a hypothetical nightmare — it’s a reflection of how vast and unmanageable our federal criminal code has become. The body of federal criminal law has grown so large that no person or institution has been able to definitively count how many crimes currently exist. The result is a justice system that is unfocused, inconsistent, and increasingly ineffective.

An overgrown criminal code does not necessarily target those who pose real threats to public safety. Instead, it risks turning everyday Americans into criminals for offenses they had no idea they were committing.

Continue reading “When Everything Is a Crime: Why the Count the Crimes to Cut Act Matters” →

South Dakota saw a 6.03 percent decrease in reported criminal offenses in 2025 compared to the previous year, according to the newly released Crime in South Dakota 2025 report.

The annual report recorded 64,261 criminal offenses statewide in 2025, down from 68,388 in 2024. Drug‑related crimes also fell by 6.25 percent, with 6,358 drug offenses reported last year compared to 6,782 in 2024.

Attorney General Marty Jackley said the downward trend demonstrates the state’s continued emphasis on public safety.

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