SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (John Hult / South Dakota Searchlight) – In some of his first public remarks since taking the helm of the South Dakota Department of Corrections, Secretary Nick Lamb told an oversight commission Wednesday that the state “has a long way to go” to address challenges in its prison system.

Gov. Larry Rhoden appointed Lamb in late October, days after the departure of former Secretary Kellie Wasko, who announced her resignation weeks before the state Legislature voted to endorse the construction of a $650 million men’s prison in Sioux Falls.

Lamb came to South Dakota in mid-November with decades of correctional experience, most recently in Iowa.

He took the helm of an agency bedeviled for half a decade by controversies, among them:

A staff shakeup over allegations of nepotism and harassment by prison leadership, spurring a revolving door of wardens and cabinet secretaries.

Unrest among inmates that left offenders and staff members injured in Sioux Falls and Springfield.

Heated pushback against a men’s prison construction proposal that forced Rhoden to restart discussions — and cost taxpayers $20 million in sunk costs on a prison site in Lincoln County that was abandoned for a location in Sioux Falls.

A tally of fatal prison overdoses higher than the state has seen in recent memory, which have persisted in the face of investigations and arrests.

Lamb spoke for less than two minutes in his introduction to the Corrections Commission, which met virtually for the second time since the group’s new leadership signaled their intention to expand their involvement in prison policy discussions.

The new secretary talked about “a very busy three and a half weeks” meeting staff and reviewing policy and thanked Wasko for her leadership and her “great work” during her three and a half years with the agency.

Lamb said much needs to be done, particularly with two new prisons in the works (a women’s prison in Rapid City, in addition to the men’s prison in Sioux Falls) and persistent challenges with staff retention, repeat offenses and security concerns inside existing prisons.

Overdoses addressed in, out of commission setting

Lamb also offered a nod to the overdoses, the most recent of which came last week at the maximum-security Jameson Annex of the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls.

“South Dakota is not any different than any other state with its continued struggle with synthetic cannabinoids,” Lamb said, referring to synthetic drugs like K2, which is responsible for most of the eight overdose deaths that have occurred in 2025.

Lamb did not elaborate on the extent of the drug problem in other states, but news reports on the issue have appeared in multiple states this year. Kansas officials cited K2, which typically lands in prison on paper that’s been soaked with intoxicants and dried out for distribution, as the reason for restricting access to newspapers. A jail in Wisconsin signaled plans to scan all inmate mail for delivery via electronic tablet in an effort to restrict access to K2, mirroring a policy in place since 2021 at state institutions.

South Dakota has long had such a scanning policy for inmate mail, all of which is delivered via tablet.

Attorney General Marty Jackley’s office has investigated each of the South Dakota overdose deaths, and issued charges for an inmate and Sioux Falls resident accused, respectively, of delivering the drugs involved in two of those deaths. Separate to those charges, Jackley’s office indicted other inmates and a former correctional officer in September for allegedly distributing K2 in prison.

Three more inmates have died of overdoses since the September indictments. In an interview that aired Wednesday on South Dakota Public Broadcasting, Jackley told Lori Walsh that there are other investigations involving other correctional officers, and that he intends to work with lawmakers to stiffen penalties for drug-dealing Department of Corrections staffers.

“Absolutely these deaths are preventable,” Jackley said.

Commissioners pledge greater oversight

At the Corrections Commission meeting that began a few hours after Jackley’s remarks hit the airwaves, the group’s members doubled down on their September promise to take a more active role in prison policy.

The commission’s role diminished under Wasko’s tenure, typically only voting to approve meeting minutes and hear financial updates on prison industries, even as the law that created the group defined it as one meant to advise the Department of Corrections.

David McGirr, a longtime commission member, agitated for a more active role in mid-2024. On Wednesday, he again pointed out that past commissions had such a role, and encouraged the lawmakers now serving to endorse a return.

“Secretary Wasko felt like she didn’t have to share anything with us because we aren’t elected officials, but we’re appointed by the governor,” McGirr said.

Although some of the board members are not elected officials, others are. One of the new members, Sioux Falls Republican state Rep. John Hughes, told McGirr he agreed, and called out the overdose situation as proof that the group needs to step up its oversight.

Hughes said he spent the weekend reading up on K2, and was troubled by the impact it’s had in South Dakota.

“The inmate deaths are sickening,” Hughes said, adding that inmates are “our people” during their time in state custody.

“We have to own the responsibility for these people,” he said.

Lamb did not speak up to address his view on the commission’s role, and no commissioner asked him to.

Rep. Kadyn Wittman, D-Sioux Falls, now chair of the group, said she intends to call more frequent meetings in the coming years, noting that she called December’s meeting — one more than the group had on its calendar prior to her ascension — to set that tone.

“It didn’t sit right that we met so infrequently,” Wittman said.