Death Row Inmates In South Dakota Lowest In The Country
As of October 2022, the South Dakota Department of Corrections lists 154 individuals serving murder sentences in either Sioux Falls or Pierre. Male inmates (150) serving life sentences are housed in Sioux Falls while female inmates (4) are in Pierre.
According to Death Row U.S.A. Spring 2022, a report by the Legal Defense Fund, one person was waiting on death row in South Dakota as of April 1, 2022 - the 24th most among states.
Recently the Department of Corrections announced Jimmy Weatherford died while serving two life and one 25-year sentence. Weatherford died on Sunday, December 18 in the South Dakota State Penitentiary. The 63-year-olds cause of death was not disclosed.
The Death Penalty Divide
A Supreme Court ruling in 1972 banned the death penalty in the United States, ruling that the punishment, as applied, was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976.
Minnesota, Iowa, and, North Dakota are all in-active death row states.