Combating Drugs in South Dakota: A Four-Lane Strategy

Why it matters: 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. 

A. Expand cross-deputization agreements. 

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

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

• Use the right jurisdiction for the right offender. 
• Reservations are often limited in staffing; emergency declarations have cited having very few officers for very large areas, which is exactly why task-force support matters. 

C. Real-Time Information Sharing and Mutual Aid

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

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 state wide and on Indian Reservations. 

"We should Ian to make evidence-based prevention curriculum available to every school district, including tribal schools, starting where communities request it." Austin Hoffman. 

Intensive inpatient treatment facility bed number in South Dakota are lacking. This is especially true 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. Use private funding and local partnerships to build more inpatient treatment facilities across South Dakota. 

B. Utilize Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration grants for continued operations for existing and new treatment facilities. 

• 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. 
• These grants cannot be used to build new facilities but can be used to fund services and operations. 

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

• 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 to this number.  

A. 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 predicators 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. This can be 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.