SCOUTING YESTERDAY | 1993 riot resulted in $2.5M in damages to Sioux Falls prison

State Penitentiary disturbances bring memories of unrest at Department of Corrections facility

(Argus Leader)

This week’s unrest at the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls caused injuries to both prison guards and inmates.

And though a second night of disturbances at the Department of Corrections men’s prison Thursday evening into Friday morning took place, officials are not going so far as to categorize the incidents as riots.

But that wasn’t the case 31 years ago when more than 200 prisoners rioted and took control of the penitentiary’s yard during a 13-hour standoff.

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