State Reform Profile
South Dakota
South Dakota has the highest Native American incarceration disparity nationally. IM 26 brought drug reform.
Key Statistics
Incarceration by Race
Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents. Racial estimates based on BJS/Sentencing Project methodology.
Recidivism Rate
Percent of people reincarcerated within 3 years of release. Source: BJS recidivism data series.
Cost vs. Alternatives
Active & Passed Reforms
2 initiativesIM 26 – Drug Policy ReformView full details →
Reduced drug possession penalties (partially rolled back by legislature).
Native American Justice InitiativeView full details →
Tribal-state collaboration for culturally appropriate diversion.
Data Sources & Methodology
Reform data sourced from state legislative records, BJS Criminal Justice Statistics, the Vera Institute Incarceration Trends dataset, and The Sentencing Project. AltReform prediction scores (0,100) are generated by our ML model trained on 20+ years of state-level reform outcomes, weighting recidivism reduction, racial equity impact, cost-effectiveness, and political feasibility. Statistics are the most recent available (2021,2024).
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