Behind the walls of the SD State Penitentiary: Part I

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — KELOLAND News hadn’t had the chance to bring a camera behind the walls of the South Dakota State Penitentiary in recent years… until Wednesday.

In recent public comments, South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden has made clear his concerns about the aging facility. KELOLAND’s Bob Mercer and Dan Santella interviewed Rhoden on Jan. 29, and at the conclusion of the interview, they requested permission to bring a camera inside the prison. This request was granted.

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The penitentiary, which opened up in 1881 before South Dakota was a state, was built to house 400 inmates. But Wednesday morning’s count was nearly double that: 784. Most inmates are double-bunked, and there have been several instances of triple-bunking in recent history.

The numbers and that lack of space would bring considerable concern in any facility, no matter the age or condition. But this penitentiary has seen better days.

“The walls are crumbling,” South Dakota Secretary of Corrections Kellie Wasko said Wednesday. “The foundation is displaced. We don’t have adequate cell space for our offenders. We don’t have adequate showers for our offenders, and there’s absolutely no treatment space without them having to travel across an outdoors area.”

Wasko and state Director of Prisons Amber Pirraglia, who currently serves as interim warden at the penitentiary, both accompanied KELOLAND News on Wednesday’s exclusive tour. A hallway where inmates are transported had a prominent place on the tour, and with Wasko playing the role of an inmate while Pirraglia and DOC Maj. Cody Hanson acted as officers accompanying the “offender,” the challenges posed by the corridor are clear.

“So, we would come this way,” Hanson said as he, Wasko and Pirraglia showcased the obstacle. “The inmate would have to step over first, and then as she’s stepping over, one of us would have to step over just so we keep continuous contact, and we would wait, and then we would go on our way.”

A visitor might notice that the piping over which they stepped isn’t exactly in the best condition. There’s a reason for that.

“They’re dented because so many times we’ve used restraints over here, and just the usage over time, they get dented from the restraints, for how many inmates would go back and forth,” Hanson said.

Back when the facility opened, the Civil War’s end was recent history. Wasko says attitudes have changed since then.

“We don’t have the type of inmates in 2025 that we had in 1881,” she said. “The people in 1881 were repenting their crimes and their sins. Today, we have a much more brazen type of offender, and so our staff are walking by and often being fluid-assaulted or having objects from the cell thrown at them and hit them.”

Per the South Dakota Department of Corrections, to be “fluid-assaulted” might include spit or urine launched at staff. Wasko and Pirraglia sing the praises of the people who work at the prison in spite of its notable challenges.

“I can’t express how proud I am of the staff that work here,” Pirraglia said. “The staff are what keeps everything going, day in and day out.”

“I have some of the most professional staff in the business,” Wasko said. “I’m very proud of the staff in this facility. They do a very good job with what we’ve given them. But I think that it falls on our shoulders that we have to do better and give them a better environment to do their job safely.”

Part II of this coverage is set to air Thursday night on KELOLAND News.