South Dakota’s new corrections secretary, Nick Lamb, told the Correctional Rehabilitation Task Force on Wednesday that narcotics issues in the state’s prisons are no worse than those seen nationwide.
Lamb, who previously worked in Iowa, Illinois, and New Mexico, said drug problems are common across the country and even abroad. “When I arrived in New Mexico in 2019, it was very bad. Iowa was bad too,” he noted, adding that South Dakota’s situation is similar.
The Department of Corrections has identified contraband as one source of drugs entering facilities. Lamb reported 24 inmate deaths so far this year, including four confirmed overdoses and four more under investigation.
Visitation rules were tightened in June to curb contraband, with no‑contact restrictions still in place at the Sioux Falls prison and Jameson Annex. Lamb said those limits will remain for now, without a timeline for lifting them.
The DOC also plans to deploy new body cameras. Lamb said he expects them to arrive within months, while Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen confirmed the devices were ordered in July.
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