South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden has issued an executive order regarding the state’s parole system. Rhoden said something like this was already in the works at this week’s gubernatorial debate…
The Prole system and the state’s high recidivism rate have come into the spotlight following a Sioux Falls police officer being shot Monday by a man who was on active parole. Rhoden said in a statement the directive swill make it faster and easier to revoke repeat parole offenders and remove them from South Dakota communities.
Governor Rhoden’s directive delivers several results, including:
- Creating an enhanced compliance unit with five specialized parole agents focused on a higher level of supervision including nights and weekends for the most intensive parolees;
- DOC will appoint experienced parole agents to the enhanced compliance unit and add five new agents to help lower caseloads and improve supervision at all levels. These additional parole officer jobs have been posted;
- Increasing punishment for parole violators. Instead of treating all misdemeanors the same, DOC has enhanced the severity of sanctions for DUIs, simple assault, and weapons violations that are a danger to others;
- Enforcing accountability by continuing to revoke parole from more people who are noncompliant, in particular with drug use. In the first week, DOC nearly doubled the average number of revocations and will continue to moving forward;
- Requesting the Board of Pardons and Parole process revocations faster and impose stronger sanctions. The director will hold disposition hearings more frequently and propose to the parole board increasing the length of returns to prison; and
- Working with parole stakeholders and DOC on the legislation and budgetary items to further reform parole and support local law enforcement.
