South Dakota Prison Overcrowding Boosts Codington County Jail Revenue
- Steve Jurrens
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - State-level prison overcrowding has transformed into an unexpected revenue driver for Codington County. In his May 2026 report to the Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, Sheriff Brad Howell revealed that space shortages across South Dakota’s penitentiary system have forced state authorities to routinely rely on regional county facilities, driving local jail revenues upward.
Howell broke down the numbers for the month, revealing an influx of cash linked directly to state-overflow housing contracts.
“You’re probably wondering how our numbers jumped on our out-of-county contracts significantly like that—$32,799.12,” Sheriff Howell noted during his briefing. “A lot of that was some changes in the state, holding a lot more parolees and fully sentenced inmates because the prison capacity is full. So we’re holding a lot more state inmates at $95 a day.”
Comprehensive Jail and 24/7 Sobriety Metrics
The out-of-county revenue spike accompanied active local enforcement patterns. The facility maintained an Average Daily Population (ADP) of 58.87 inmates through May. The population hit a monthly high of 67 inmates on May 1 and dropped to a low of 51 on May 24, while processing a total of 206 individual bookings.
The jail’s separate checking account tracked an ending balance of $11,340.19, supported by $7,131.38 in collected sheriff’s fees and $3,118.31 stemming from legal executions. Meanwhile, the regional 24/7 Sobriety program reported a robust roster of 131 active participants. This caseload requires continuous monitoring, utilizing 15 SCRAM ankle bracelets, 11 remote breathalyzer devices, 50 twice-daily PBT breath checks, and 53 twice-weekly urinalyses.
On the streets, Codington County deputies managed 681 active calls for service, executed 57 warrants, and served 201 civil papers. Transport operations logged 3,813 miles across 14 distinct trips to safely transfer 21 individuals.
To conclude the report, Sheriff Howell announced that the department has successfully closed its remaining personnel vacancies. Brandon Fieber, an existing part-time corrections officer and recent Lake Area Technical College graduate, has completed all onboarding benchmarks and will step into a full-time Deputy Sheriff role on July 1, 2026
