Know Your Rights: Prisoners’ Rights

Learn more here about your right to be protected against discrimination and abuse in prison and what to do if your rights are violated. The law is always evolving. If you have access to a prison law library, it is a good idea to research new developments.

Connect with these organizations for more information on your rights and actions you can take.

ACLU of South Dakota: Handles prison-conditions cases and civil-liberties violations. Does not provide post-conviction assistance or research services to prisoners.

• Contact: Intake Department
• Mail: P.O. Box 1770, Sioux Falls, SD 57101
• Phone: 605-332-2508; 605-332-5648 fax Email: [email protected]
• Website: aclusd.org/get-help

Dakota Plains Legal Services: Provides legal services to eligible applicants. Accepts some criminal cases.

• Mail: P.O. Box 727, Mission, SD 57555 Phone: 605-856-4444; 800-658-2297 toll free
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: dpls.org

East River Legal Services: Provides legal assistance to low-income South Dakotans. Focuses on domestic violence, family law, housing law, elder law, social security/SSI Disability, and veterans and military families.

• Mail: 335 N. Main Ave. #200, Sioux Falls, SD 57104
• Phone: 605-336-9230
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: erlservices.org

Innocence Project of South Dakota USD School of Law: Provides pro bono legal representation to South Dakota inmates with a cognizable claim of wrongful conviction.

• Mail: 414 E. Clark St., Vermillion, SD 57069
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: usd.edu/ipsd

South Dakota CURE (Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants): Organizes prisoners, their families and other concerned citizens to achieve reforms in the criminal-justice system. Does not take individual cases.

• Contact: Jack Mortenson
• Mail: 2116 S. Crestwood Rd., Sioux Falls, SD 57105
• Phone: 605-366-2851
• Email: [email protected]

South Dakota Prisoner Support Group: Corresponds with and mails resource packet to prisoners and their friends and family. Connects prisoners with civil rights organizations, community organizations, prison literature and arts projects, family and visiting resources, health care and legal resources, and parole and pre-release resources.

• Mail: P.O. Box 3285, Rapid City, SD 57709

Exoneration Project: Works to correct wrongful convictions only in cases where the accused is innocent of the crimes charged, meaning they did not commit the crime(s) and had no involvement in the crime(s). Does not take cases where the claim is an affirmative defense, such as consensual sex and self-defense.

• Contact: Intake Department Mail: 311 N. Aberdeen St, 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60607
• Website: exonerationproject.org
• Email: [email protected]