By Victoria Wicks
The percentage of American Indians in South Dakota prisons far exceeds their representation in the general population. In adult facilities, 27 percent of male inmates and 41 percent of women are Native. A teacher, a counselor, and a tribal Attorney General say helping Indian people to follow traditional ways can reduce those numbers. For today’s Dakota Digest, Victoria Wicks brings us Part Two of a four-part series examining the state’s current Criminal Justice Initiative.
To listen to the first segment of this series, which aired Dec. 18, please click here:
http://listen.sdpb.org/post/state-proposes-reduce-prison-population-treating-addicted-felons
To read the entire Criminal Justice Initiative Work Force Report, click here:
http://ujs.sd.gov/uploads/downloads/Public/CJI_Report_Draft_Nov_2012_FINAL_11_27_12.pdf