South Dakota incarcerates women at the highest rate in the world, according a new report.
The Prison Policy Initiative report found South Dakota has more women in prison per capita than any other state in the country, and more than any other country in the world.
In South Dakota, 338 women per 100,000 are incarcerated. That’s triple the US average, and more than six times the rate of the United Kingdom, Canada and many other U.S. allies.
The Prison Policy Initiative is a nonprofit organization that researches incarceration. Its report said over half the women in prison in the state are behind bars for drug offenses.
According to the Department of Corrections 2024 statistical report, in the nonviolent category, 77% of females in the prison system were charged with a non-violent drug crime. Trailing second was drug ingestion.
South Dakota recently dropped ingesting a controlled substance from a felony to a misdemeanor. The state Legislature indicated a willingness to address crime with rehabilitation at a Special Legislative Session to build a men’s prison.
However, female offender drug crimes increased by 66% from 2013 to 2022, per the latest DOC data available.
A governor-appointed task force focused on rehabilitation in the DOC is planning to look at offender recidivism rates and how to lower them in South Dakota.
