Austin Hoffman for Attorney General

Policy Plan

Combating Drugs in South Dakota:
A Four-Lane Strategy

Goals: Reduce Trafficking, Shrink Demand, and Lower Recidivism.

1

Disrupt Trafficking Through Reservations and Border Communities

Tribal leaders and federal reporting have repeatedly flagged meth trafficking, drug use, and related violence as a public safety emergency on some reservations. The Native American prison population is vastly overrepresented when compared to other races. We can do better to serve their community — which, in turn, will help all of South Dakota.

Why it matters:

A. Expand Cross-Deputization Agreements

  • →State/county officers can act on-reservation.
  • →Tribal officers can act off-reservation.

B. Joint Task Forces (Tribal, Local, State, and Federal)

  • →Use the right jurisdiction for the right offender.
  • →Reservations are often limited in staffing — task-force support matters.

C. Real-Time Information Sharing and Mutual Aid

  • →Shared intel, shared targets, shared priorities.
  • →Mutual aid agreements for searches, warrants, investigations, and training.
2

Shrink Demand with Prevention and Early Education

A. Use What Already Works

  • →Partner with existing tribal prevention programs.

B. Put Age-Appropriate Prevention in Schools Statewide

  • →Emily's Hope, a nonprofit right here in South Dakota, has a K-12 prevention curriculum designed as an age-appropriate, classroom-ready prevention approach.
  • →This could be instituted statewide and on Indian Reservations.
  • "We should plan to make evidence-based prevention curriculum available to every school district, including tribal schools, starting where communities request it." — Austin Hoffman
3

Expand Treatment and Mental Health Capacity

Intensive inpatient treatment facility bed numbers in South Dakota are lacking — especially in rural areas and on Indian Reservations. With 90% of inmates having a substance abuse issue, solving this problem should be a top priority.

A. Build More Inpatient Treatment Facilities

  • →Use private funding and local partnerships to build more inpatient treatment facilities across South Dakota.

B. Utilize SAMHSA Grants

  • →Utilize Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration grants for continued operations.
  • →A total of $24.4 million in grants are available under this program.
  • →If awarded, a facility can receive up to $400,000.00 annually for operational costs.

C. Expand Services for Native Americans

  • →Work with tribal authorities to expand these services for Native Americans on and off Indian Reservations.
4

Lower Recidivism

Nearly half of all inmates will be back behind bars within 3 years. Addiction, mental health issues, employment and housing availability, and limited community re-entry programs are some of the driving factors.

A. Expand Treatment and Mental Health Programs

  • →Expanding treatment and mental health programs, as outlined above, will have a large impact on recidivism.

B. Expand Drug Courts

  • →Offenders who complete these programs have much lower re-offense rates.
  • →In rural areas, have one drug/DUI court for multiple counties.

C. Job Training and Work Release

  • →One of the biggest predictors of staying out of prison is having a stable job.
  • →Work on partnerships with employers for work release.
  • →Promote tax incentives for South Dakota employers who hire ex-offenders that have completed certified vocational programs inside the prison.

D. Expand DOC's Re-Entry Program

  • →Many inmates leave the state penitentiary with no plan for work, housing, or treatment — especially in rural areas.
  • →Build a statewide re-entry network linking parole officers, employers, and service providers to ensure every release has a verified plan for housing and employment.

E. Data-Driven Accountability

  • →Use the Attorney General's office to track and publicly report recidivism rates by county, program, and crime type.
  • →Reward programs that show measurable reductions.
  • →Establish a "Justice Performance Dashboard" for transparent tracking of outcomes — modeled on similar proven programs in Texas and North Dakota.
"We have to hold offenders accountable while giving them the tools to rebuild their lives. Reducing recidivism keeps our communities safer and saves taxpayers money." — Austin Hoffman

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