A recent report by the Prison Policy Initiative found that South Dakota leads the world in the incarceration of women.
According to the report, South Dakota has a higher rate of women in prison per capita than any other state in the United States.
The average of incarcerated women in the U.S. is 112 per 100,000 residents, while South Dakota has an average of 338 per 100,000.
The Prison Policy Initiative is a nonprofit organization that researches incarceration. Its report highlights that over half of the women in prison in South Dakota were convicted of drug-related offenses.
The number of women incarcerated in South Dakota for drug offenses has grown 66% since 2013.
Although the majority of the women in South Dakota’s prisons are incarcerated for nonviolent offenses, the state anticipates a nearly 20% increase of incarcerated women by 2026.
