In account of prison unrest, AG downplays penitentiary chaos

Gov. Kristi Noem said Department of Corrections cooperated with investigation conducted by South Dakota DCI

At no time during last month’s violent outbursts among the inmate population at the South Dakota State Penitentiary did authorities lose control of the Sioux Falls correctional facility.

That’s according to Attorney General Marty Jackley, who Tuesday announced charges against nearly a dozen inmates involved in what officials continue to describe as a disturbance inside the prison’s East Hall on March 27 and March 28. Though the incident forced the Department of Corrections to call off-duty staff to the prison and involved a series of fires, destruction of property, and assaults on guards, the attorney general said DOC staff maintained order throughout.

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“To me, a riot is when prison officials have lost control, and I credit it to those corrections officers who were there — they immediately took control of the situation,” Jackley said during a morning news conference at the Sioux Falls Law Enforcement Center. “And it was addressed.”

Jackley’s remarks came as arrest warrants for 11 inmates were being filed in Minnehaha County. According to an affidavit in support of those arrests obtained by The Dakota Scout, at about 4:15 p.m. on March 27, “numerous inmates” were refusing to enter their cells for a daily count when two corrections officers were assaulted, surveillance cameras were covered, windows were broken, and two gates into the East Hall were damaged.

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While guards acted quickly and “methodically” to get prisoners into their cells, the disturbance continued with inmates setting fires to bed sheets, clothing, and — in one case, a wheelchair — inside their cells.

“The unlawful fires caused damage to South Dakota State Penitentiary property and risked the safety of inmates and staff,” according to the 14-page affidavit.

Gov. Kristi Noem issued a statement Tuesday afternoon in appreciation of the Attorney General’s Office and the Division of Criminal Investigation, which conducted the investigation.

“The safety and security of our corrections officers depend on holding those responsible for the violence accountable for their actions,” she said. “The Department of Corrections has been and will continue to be fully cooperative with all aspects of this investigation and prosecution as these charges move forward.”

Read investigators’ full account of what took place inside the prison below: