The South Dakota Department of Corrections says it’s working to sharply reduce turnover among its security staff over the next year. Corrections Secretary Nick Lamb told lawmakers that while job vacancies have dropped from 27 percent in 2022 to just 5 percent today, turnover has nearly doubled since 2020 — rising from 17 percent to 33 percent. About 70 percent of the department’s workforce is on the security side.
Lamb says many new officers leave within their first six months, and that “this work is not for everyone.” He told legislators the department plans to give recruits a clearer picture of the job before they’re hired, possibly through videos showing day-to-day duties. New officers currently go through four weeks of classroom training, followed by 80 hours of orientation and on-the-job instruction.
The department has also begun assigning field training officers to mentor new hires through their first year, a move leaders say is already helping retention.
Lamb, who took over the agency in November, shared his own path into corrections — saying he “stumbled into the job” as a young father in Illinois, and grew to value the work because, in his words, “you can save a life.” But he noted that today’s workforce is much younger, with some 18-year-olds overseeing adult inmates at night.
He also highlighted new challenges, including synthetic drugs like K2, which he says are difficult to detect and contributed to several overdose deaths in state prisons last year.
While security staffing has improved, the department is now facing a major shortage of correctional nurses. Fifty-eight of the DOC’s 175 clinical positions are currently vacant. To fill shifts, the state is relying heavily on overtime and traveling contract nurses, with more than $4.6 million budgeted for contract staffing next year.
The department offers incentives, including student loan repayment and a $10,000 hiring bonus, but officials say many nurses simply prefer hospital or clinic work. A recent recruiting effort contacted 400 nurses statewide; only five expressed interest in correctional positions.
Corrections leaders say improving retention — both for officers and nurses — remains one of their top priorities moving forward.
