Do all inmates in South Dakota get released into the community where the prison is located?

Inmates who are released from the South Dakota prison system are released in the community where they were sentenced or the city of their choice.

According to South Dakota law, released inmates receive transportation to the place “where the inmate received sentence or an equivalent distance.”

Department of Corrections spokesperson Michael Winder said many offenders choose to be released in the county that has the best support system.

“The short answer is that offenders can choose what community they are released to,” he said.

The issue has become controversial as the state considers where to build a new men’s prison to replace the 140-year-old state penitentiary in Sioux Falls. Proponents have cited released inmates in their community as a major factor against a prison

South Dakota has four (non-minimum) facilities: the penitentiary and Jameson Annex in Sioux Falls, the women’s prison in Pierre and Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield