New corrections chief meets with S.D. legislators

PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — The South Dakota Division of Corrections is taking a brand new course below new secretary Kellie Wasko.

She defined a few of these approaches Wednesday to the Legislature’s Authorities Operations and Audit Committee.

Well being care providers will probably be moved into DOC. The division has been contracting with the state Division of Social Companies for psychological well being and the state Division of Well being for bodily providers.

“But on the finish of the day, the accountability for supply of constitutional look after offenders falls again on the secretary of corrections,” Wasko instructed lawmakers.

She predicted the change would “carry nice efficiencies” to the division and permit for better accountability for the care being delivered.

“I can evaluate information and react, I believe, extra effectively and successfully when I’ve that individual sitting proper there at my desk as an govt member of my govt workforce,” Wasko stated. She added, “I actually need to get a greater grasp on what are we doing for them whereas they’re right here.”

Wasko stated she’s been in shut contact with Well being Secretary Joan Adam and Social Companies Secretary Laurie Gill. “And we’re all in settlement that it is a mandatory transfer. We are going to work collectively to perform it,” Wasko stated, referring to it as “a zero-sum switch.”

“That is actually going to be a switch of FTE solely,” she defined, utilizing the federal government acronym for full-time equal positions. “To that time, we’re not taking a look at a price range request. It’s going to be FTE authority solely.” 

Wasko will make an analogous presentation Thursday to the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee. Governor Kristi Noem employed her to begin in March after then-Secretary Mike Leidholt took early retirement. The division has gone via a wide range of shake-ups and adjustments in lots of its high personnel throughout the previous yr.

The governor additionally contracted for a 101-page amenities plan and a 54-page exterior examine that generated six chapters of study and suggestions. Wasko stated she’s began making adjustments, equivalent to including an inspector basic, realigning the division’s govt workforce, bringing on a director of the jail and having a coverage compliance coordinator.

The Legislature this yr permitted the governor’s suggestions of beginning pay of $20 per hour for corrections guards and a 6% pay improve, atop varied incentives that had been put in place final yr. Wasko stated Wednesday she needs to do extra for employees inside amenities who’ve stayed with the division for many years.

She famous that insurance policies beforehand weren’t maintained in a central location: “The method was left as much as every particular person establishment, so every particular person establishment was functioning below their very own working measures if you’ll.”

As for previous coaching, she stated individuals did one of the best they may however a lot of what was offered didn’t meet trendy necessities. “Though South Dakota doesn’t have prisons accredited, we are able to nonetheless observe finest practices that’s outlined by accreditation,” Wasko stated.

The ladies’s jail at Pierre is badly overcrowded, with as many as 9 inmates in a cell, whereas the State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls has extra male inmates needing increased safety than there are acceptable cells. She stated solely 7% of feminine inmates acquired substance-use therapy final yr as a result of there wasn’t room for extra programming.

That’s one of many causes Wasko stated she prefers including a 200-bed facility for ladies, reasonably than two 100-bed websites as advisable in one of many reviews as a result of it could be simpler to offer group substance-use providers in a troublesome labor market.

She additionally needs fences across the minimal custody establishments to make sure that the communities are secure.

“However I simply can’t get behind not re-purposing the place we are able to re-purpose and actually put our bucks the place we completely want them for security and safety reasonably than, , aesthetics,” she stated. “There’s issues that we may do operationally that can make the amenities function a bit of safer, than simply tearing them down and creating new bodily vegetation.”