SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) -- South Dakota ranks third in the percentage growth of inmate population of all U.S. states.

The federal Bureau of Justice Statistics in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said its latest prison population report South Dakota had a 9% increase, which places it behind New Mexico at 12% and Maine, also at 12%. The increase applies to the 2023 population, the most recent data available.

Regionally, the growth in Iowa, Nebraska and North Dakota was between 3% and 6% and less than 3% in Minnesota. South Dakota is one of 38 states that had growth in the male prison population from 2022 to 2023 and one of 41 with an increase in female inmates.

The U.S. inmate population grew by 2% from 2022 to 2023, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

The federal report

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