South Dakota's new parole absconder unit has apprehended more than 200 people in 7 months, DOC says

A new unit designed to lower the number of offenders on parole who abscond, or violate the rules of supervision following their release from prison, is starting to see the impact of its success after the program apprehended more than 200 people during the last seven months, according to the South Dakota Department of Corrections.

Before the creation of the unit, known as the Absconder Apprehension Unit, in December 2022, the number of parole absconders was 486, according to Michael Winder, a public information officer for the South Dakota Department of Corrections.

As of mid-May, there were 266 active, in-state parole absconders in the state, he said. The unit has also apprehended 20 “priority absconders,” since its inception.

“The AAU looks at offenders on a case-by-case basis when considering placing someone on the Top 10 priority absconders,” Winder said in a statement to the Argus Leader. “They review current crime, criminal history, violence assessments, absconding/supervision history (repeat offenders), and any recent collateral information that may indicate a high likelihood of criminal behavior.”

By definition, an offender on parole or suspended is declared an absconder by a supervising parole agent or regional supervisor once initial efforts to locate the offender have been exhausted and failed, according to the Department of Corrections.

More: Parole officers create specialty unit to target parolees in hiding

Indicators of absconding behavior can include not responding to phone calls or attempted contact, moving out of the last known or reported residence without notice, quitting or leaving their employment without notifying their agent, no longer attending treatment, aftercare of other programming, missing appointments with the agent, removing a GPS unit without authorization or failing to return to an assigned facility, according to a Department of Corrections’ policy handout.

At the end of May in Sioux Falls, the South Dakota Department of Corrections provided information that indicated there were a total of 1,403 parolees being supervised by agents. That number also indicates individuals residing in rural Minnehaha County or neighboring communities.

A parolee is an inmate who is conditionally released from the physical custody of a state facility before the expiration of the inmate's term of imprisonment, according to the Department of Corrections.

More: Parolees speak out about why Sioux Falls has become their landing spot after prison

In an email, Winder said the Department of Corrections has been working with local law enforcement in various counties, including violent offender task forces, where they are able to collaborate and coordinate information regarding parole absconders.

The department has also established a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Marshal’s Service to allow them to work directly with the department to locate a separate cohort of wanted absconders on tribal lands, according to a press release from the department.

"We established the AAU due to the criminal activities involving current parole absconders," DOC Secretary Kellie Wasko said in a statement. "Our goal is to work with our law enforcement partners to improve and ensure public safety."

The department could not get into specific details about how the collaborative process works for security reasons.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota DOC: Parole absconder unit has apprehended 200+ people