South Dakota Inmate Search

On the official website of the South Dakota Department of Corrections, you'll find a functional offender locator where you can search for an incarcerated inmate. If you have their names or DOC number, the search results will return a limited list of information that could enable you to find them. 

The SDDOC database contains details of offenders sentenced to custody within their facilities. But they only cover individuals convicted to state prison, while those on probation, other supervision, or county jail aren't listed. 

Inmate details you can expect to see once you've input the search parameters on the DOC website include the following: 

• Inmate's names and dates of birth 
• Race and age 
• Gender, height, and weight 
• Eye and hair color 
• Custody facility and status 

The SDDOC search results don't contain conclusive information pertaining to an inmate's offense, sentence length, or release date. Such details are only available if you do an online South Dakota offender lookup or jail rosters, often published and updated by the county sheriff. 

There are conflicting regulations in South Dakota regarding releasing inmate information to the public, as the state was one of the country's last to enact disclosure laws. That's because the amount of data disclosed for inmates currently incarcerated in its prisons is limited. 

But recent inroads have been made in bringing more correctional system transparency, resulting in the availability of the offender lookup function on the DOCs website. It's also still possible to approach the corrections department via email, phone, and snail mail or in person. 

Another way to locate an inmate in South Dakota is via the VINELink or Inmate-Plus systems, third-party search providers free to use after registering an account. While designed with victims in mind, these platforms can help you find where an offender is incarcerated so that you can look at that facility's inmate roster. 

South Dakota Inmate Roster 

You may desire to visit or write to a loved one in a South Dakota jail or prison but don't know exactly where they're incarcerated. But if you know avenues other than an online DOC search, you can find out which facility the offender is in and how to get in touch. 

The South Dakota inmate roster is a preserve of city and county jails around the state, which put up mug-shots and information concerning inmates currently incarcerated there. Vital information to enable you to pick up the trail is where the offender was arrested and arraigned since they must have passed through the systems in the counties beforehand. 

Inmate details on the SDDOC website don't contain offenders incarcerated in South Dakota County jails or records on juvenile inmates. For that, you'll have to contact a county's sheriff department under whose jurisdiction the offender was incarcerated. 

The information available in county jails on an inmate, whether in a work program or another detention center, changes quickly due to the high turnover of offenders. That's because sentences in these facilities are usually below two years, and these facilities only house inmates on misdemeanor offenses. 

About the South Dakota State Department of Corrections 

The adult prison system, parole, and juvenile detention centers are some facilities managed by the South Dakota Department of Corrections or SDDOC. A government–operated arm of the state, this entity has offices in the Solem Public Safety Center of Pierre, SD. 

The provision of secure correctional facilities for adult and juvenile inmates committed by the justice system to its supervision is the core mission of SDDOC. While it aims to protect South Dakota citizens, the department is also involved in community supervision of offenders after release. 

Statutory provisions in South Dakota Codified Law Chapters 1 to 15 describe the SDOC's duties and power, which are available at the Legislative Research Council. The department utilizes a highly skilled workforce to manage its six prisons and 26 jails across the state. 

For every 100,000 people, South Dakota has an incarceration rate of 824 individuals, which is one of the highest in the US. State facilities currently house approximately 3,500 adult inmates, of which 1700 are white, 260 are African American, and nearly 1,500 are Native American. 

Of these incarcerated offenders, 42.91% have committed violent offenses, while 31.96% are drug crimes. South Dakota DOC also has over 250 juvenile inmates, and the department oversees those in residential out-of-home, supervised release, and aftercare.