When someone you love goes into the South Dakota Department of Corrections, you will hear a lot of confident advice that turns out to be wrong, or that describes how other states work. South Dakota has its own logic, and a huge part of it depends on whether the crime was committed before or after July 1, 1996. The newer system uses an individual program directive and a presumptive release date, the parole board has a distinctive structure, and tablets play a central role. The visiting and money systems have their own rules too. Here are the myths I hear most often from South Dakota families, and the reality behind each one.
Myth: Parole works one single way for everyone in South Dakota.
Reality: South Dakota has two different systems depending on when the crime was committed. This is the most important thing to understand. For crimes committed before July 1, 1996, the old system applies, and the Board of Pardons and Paroles has full discretion over release. For crimes committed on or after July 1, 1996, the new system applies, built around an individual program directive and a presumptive parole date. So the very first thing to determine is which system governs your person's case, because the old and new systems work in fundamentally different ways and lead to very different release processes. The offense date, not the sentencing date, is what controls.
Myth: Under the old system, he gets out after a set fraction automatically.
Reality: The old system is discretionary, with eligibility tied to how many prior felonies he has. Under the old system, for crimes before July 1, 1996, your person becomes eligible for parole after serving a fraction of the time, after good conduct deductions, that depends on prior record, commonly one fourth for a first felony, three eighths for a second, and one half for a third or more. But eligibility is not release. The Board of Pardons and Paroles decides whether to grant parole based on rehabilitation, risk, and having a solid parole plan. So under the old system, reaching the fraction only opens the door to a discretionary board decision. Your person still has to persuade the board, and a strong record and release plan matter enormously.
Myth: Under the new system, parole is just as much of a long shot.
Reality: Under the new system, release at the initial parole date is presumptive if he complies. For crimes on or after July 1, 1996, each inmate receives an individual program directive that sets the standards and the initial parole date. If your person behaves, completes the assigned work, education, and treatment programs, agrees to the conditions of supervision, and has an approved release plan, they are to be released at that initial parole date. The state estimates that the large majority of people are released at their presumptive date. So under the new system, the initial parole date is a real, expected release point, not a long shot, as long as your person does what the program directive requires. Compliance is the key that unlocks presumptive release.
Myth: The program directive is just paperwork that does not really matter.
Reality: The individual program directive is the core of release under the new system. The individual program directive is not a formality. It establishes the specific work, education, and treatment requirements your person must complete, and meeting it is what makes release at the initial parole date happen. If the warden reports that your person has failed to substantially comply with the program directive, presumptive release can be lost, and the case goes to the board instead. So the program directive is the single most important document for a new system inmate. Understanding exactly what it requires, and helping your person stay on track to complete every part of it, is the most direct way to support an on time release.
Myth: His parole eligibility is the same regardless of the crime.
Reality: The percentage is set by felony class, count, and whether the crime was violent. South Dakota divides felonies into nine classes, and the time to the initial parole date is set by a structure that accounts for the felony class, the number of counts, and whether the offense was a crime of violence. Consecutive sentences add their requirements together. The most serious classes carry life sentences, where parole eligibility, if it exists at all, comes only after a very long term that depends on the offense date. So the eligibility percentage is not uniform. It is calculated from the specific class and nature of your person's offense, which is why two people with the same sentence length can have very different parole timelines.
Myth: The parole board is just a group of governor appointees.
Reality: South Dakota's board has an unusual three way appointment structure. The Board of Pardons and Paroles has nine members, but they are not all chosen by one official. Three are appointed by the governor, three by the attorney general, and three by the state supreme court, with one attorney required from each group. So the board is deliberately structured to draw from three branches of authority rather than one. For families, the practical point is that this is a formal, independent board that decides parole, revocation, and policy, and submitting thoughtful, timely information for a hearing matters, especially for old system cases and for new system cases that did not result in presumptive release.
Myth: Once he is released on parole, the sentence is over.
Reality: Parole is conditional release under DOC custody, not a discharge. In South Dakota, parole is the conditional release of your person from physical custody, but they remain under the legal custody of the Department of Corrections until the sentence expires, supervised by parole agents under conditions. A violation can lead to revocation and a return to prison. So release on parole is the supervised, community portion of the sentence, not the end of it. Following every condition matters, because your person is still serving the sentence in the eyes of the law until it fully expires, and a violation can send them back to custody to continue serving.
Myth: Tablets are just for games and have nothing to do with staying connected.
Reality: In South Dakota, tablets are central to communication and programming. South Dakota issues tablets to eligible inmates, and they are used for far more than entertainment. Your person can use a tablet for educational courses, music, and e-books, and at many facilities for messaging through the approved provider and for inmate initiated video calls by connecting to a docking station. Messages go only to approved contacts on the phone list, are reviewed, are not instant, and cannot include photos. So the tablet is a real communication tool. Getting your phone number approved on your person's list is what enables messaging and video calls, making the tablet one of the most practical ways to stay in regular contact.
Myth: Anyone can visit or send money without any paperwork.
Reality: In South Dakota, the visitation application is required to visit and to send money. Everyone who wants to visit must complete a visitation application, pass a background check if eighteen or older, and renew the application each year, and notably, anyone who wishes to send funds to your person must also complete that visitation application. In person visits at state prisons may no longer require advance scheduling, but video visits must be booked online, commonly at least seventy two hours ahead. So the application is the gateway to both visiting and sending money. Complete it early, keep the yearly renewal current, and confirm approval, because without it you can neither visit nor deposit funds.
Myth: I can send money and packages any way I want.
Reality: South Dakota routes money and messaging through specific approved vendors. Once approved through the visitation application, you can deposit commissary funds through the approved money vendor, typically available within a couple of days, while funds for phone and tablet use go through a separate communications vendor and can only be used for that purpose. Tablet messaging runs through its own provider. Packages of clothing or hygiene items generally must be ordered through approved vendors rather than sent from home. So use the correct vendor for each purpose, understand that phone funds and commissary funds are separate, label everything with the full name and identification number, and order packages only through the approved channels.
The bottom line
South Dakota's parole system splits sharply at July 1, 1996. Old system cases are discretionary, with eligibility at a fraction tied to prior felonies, while new system cases run on an individual program directive and a presumptive initial parole date that leads to release if your person complies. The program directive is the core document, the eligibility percentage depends on felony class and whether the crime was violent, and the board has an unusual three way appointment structure. Parole is supervised release under continuing DOC custody. On the practical side, tablets are central to communication, and the visitation application is required both to visit and to send money. The smartest moves for a family are to learn which system applies, to understand and support the program directive, and to complete the visitation application early. This is general information, not legal advice. For a specific sentence, credit, or parole question, the department, the Board of Pardons and Paroles, or an attorney is the right authority.