Jackley’s office investigating uprising at State Penitentiary (Audio)

March 29, 2024

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota officials said Thursday they will investigate a “disturbance” at a state prison in Sioux Falls that they say resulted in at least one officer getting assaulted the day before.

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley….

South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem said a correctional officer was assaulted Wednesday and taken to a hospital “because of some tablets that were removed from prisoners”

Noem said she was “extremely proud” of the corrections officers for getting the situation back under control. She added that inmates were using the electronic tablets for “nefarious reasons.”

“They were not being used, in all situations, to just contact home,” Noem said. “They were being used for other purposes that were not good and not legal.”

A memo from March 20th on the Department of Corrections website said tablet communication features — including phone calls, messages and pictures — have been suspended since March 8 on all department tablets statewide due to an “investigation pending resolution.”

Inmates “still have access to wall phones to contact their attorneys and families,” according to the memo.