Follow this order:

1. Pull up our state's official inmate lookup. Key in the legal name exactly as a state ID card shows it.
2. No match? Try a nickname-free spelling, include a middle initial, or search a name used before marriage.
3. Write down any booking number, the facility name and the custody status.
4. Ring the Sheriff's Office at 605-297-3225 to confirm which jail is holding the person. At night, the dispatch center answers at 605-764-2664.
5. If the answer is Minnehaha, open our Minnehaha County Jail page for that jail's own roster. Per that county, its list refreshes every 15 minutes and shows intake time, bond and charges. It warns that bond figures may be off, so verify by phone.

A search that comes back empty is not proof of release. Several things cause it:

• Booking delay. Staff take prints and a picture and fill out forms. Only then does a listing post. Allow a few hours.
• The drive. Deputies must transport the person out of the county first, so entry can come later than in a county with its own jail.
• A quick release. Some people sign a promise to appear, or post a scheduled bond, and leave before any search catches them.
• A different agency. The arrest may have come from a town officer, a trooper or a neighbor county.
• Age. SAVIN leaves out juvenile cases.

When in doubt, phone the Sheriff during office hours at 605-297-3225. Spell out their whole legal name and give the birth date when the deputy asks.

The county pays other counties for beds. A 2023 state audit shows Turner spent about $134,000 that year on jail housing. The jail that serves Turner County can change, so check with the Sheriff's Office.

• Adults. One jail that may be used is the Minnehaha County Jail, 305 W. 4th Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57104, 605-367-4321. Neighboring Lincoln County, which shares Turner's 911 center, houses its inmates there.
• Youth under 18. They go to Minnehaha County Regional Juvenile Detention Center, 4200 S. West Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD 57105, 605-367-4313.

Someone arrested on a hold for another county may be sent there instead. Ask the Sheriff's Office at 605-297-3225 about any transfer.

The state lookup online leaves out pictures. To ask about a booking photo from an arrest here, call the Sheriff's Office at 605-297-3225. News outlets can make the same request.

• The Minnehaha jail roster shows names, bonds and charges, without pictures. That county's photo release program also leaves out people it holds for other agencies.
• An ICE photo can be sought with an ICE FOIA records request.
• Photos from federal bookings are normally withheld, although the Marshals Service sometimes releases one of a wanted fugitive.

Yes. South Dakota's SAVIN service is free and automated. The Attorney General's office runs it. A SAVIN search may reveal custody status and the holding facility. You can then sign up by phone or email to hear about a release or other status change, at any hour.

Help by phone is at 844-299-4608, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central. SAVIN leaves out juvenile cases. For a youth case, the State's Attorney at 605-297-3975 is the contact.

South Dakota gives nearly everyone a right to bail. The one exception is a capital charge where the evidence of guilt is very strong (S.D. Const. art. VI, § 8). Many lower charges have a fixed amount on the statewide bond schedule, which a clerk magistrate may use. Other charges need a judge, and that hearing is commonly held over a video link.

• Release may be on a written promise to appear, a cash deposit, or a bond from a licensed agent.
• The judge can add the 24/7 Sobriety Program, which the Sheriff runs, for alcohol or drug cases.
• When the arrest involves domestic abuse, a judge alone decides the release terms (SDCL 25-10-40).

Our bond guide for the county covers amounts, payment and refunds.

Booking charges come from the arresting officer. The Sheriff's Office at 605-297-3225 can usually read them to family. A jail roster may list them too.

The formal charge comes later, when the State's Attorney files a complaint or information. Copies are public at the Clerk of Courts, 400 S. Main Avenue, Suite 203, Parker, SD 57053, 605-297-3115. Have their legal name and birthday ready for the clerk.

Each charge has a class. South Dakota caps a Class 1 misdemeanor sentence at twelve months behind bars, a $2,000 fine, or both. Class 2 ones max out at 30 days, $500, or both (SDCL 22-6-2). Felony classes are more serious, from Class 6 at the low end to Class A at the top.

The first hearing is where the subject of a lawyer comes up. Defendants short on funds may ask the court to appoint counsel, and the judge reviews their finances (SDCL 23A-40-6). The county pays that lawyer, though the judge can later order repayment (SDCL 23A-40-10).

Family members can't apply for the person, but they can urge them to ask. To learn how appointments work locally, phone the Clerk of Courts at 605-297-3115. Retaining a lawyer privately remains an option throughout.

Visiting rules come from whichever jail holds the person, so find out the jail first. Many jails use video. Families either book a paid session from home or use a free screen in the lobby.

At the Minnehaha jail, per its official site, lobby visits cost nothing, run 30 minutes and must be scheduled 24 hours ahead. There are no lobby visits on Mondays. Remote visits from home run every day at $0.30 a minute. Bring a driver's license, passport or state ID. A minor visitor has to arrive with a parent or legal guardian.

Our jail visiting guide explains booking, dress codes and what to expect.

Deposits are made to the housing jail rather than to Turner's Sheriff. Ask that jail which deposit methods it uses.

The Minnehaha jail takes deposits three ways: its lobby machine, its front counter, or an online provider its website links. Its site also names CourtMoney.com for commissary funds. It turns away money orders, cashier's checks and personal checks. Inmates there may order commissary twice a week, up to $75 per order.

Fees and limits differ from place to place. Read our deposit guide and our commissary overview for each option.

Calls only go out from a jail, never in. The person dials from phones in the housing unit, charged to a prepaid account opened by relatives. Expect every call to be recorded, except approved calls with a lawyer.

The Minnehaha jail lists its phone vendor's line as 800-943-2189. Inmates there can also trade text messages at $0.25 each, or $0.35 with a picture, through a tablet.

Domestic abuse cases add a strict rule. Before the first hearing, the accused must avoid calls, notes and visits with the alleged victim, and with the people sharing that home. Asking a relative to relay words counts too (SDCL 25-10-43). Learn more on our inmate calling page.

Ask the holding jail for its mail rules before you write. Many jails now scan letters at an outside center.

For the Minnehaha jail, a personal letter carries the inmate's name and File ID#, the words Minnehaha County Jail, and then the scanning box: PO Box 591, Longview, Texas 75606. Include your return address. Pages must be 8.5 by 11 inches, five pages at most, written on one side, with one photo. Letters are scanned and then destroyed. Legal mail goes to 305 W. 4th Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57104. Books must ship straight from the publisher, two at a time.

More tips are on our jail mail guide.

Whatever was collected at booking is kept by the housing jail, not by Turner's Sheriff. When the person leaves, they usually take their property with them.

If family must pick something up, the person in custody normally signs a release first. At the Minnehaha jail, its handbook allows one property release per stay unless a sergeant approves another. Unspent account money leaves with them, loaded onto a debit card. Call that jail at 605-367-4321 for hours, and bring photo ID.

Jails must provide needed medical care. Call the holding jail as soon as possible, and share the inmate's name along with the medical worry.

• Name prescriptions and the pharmacy that fills them. A jail doctor decides what to give.
• Inside the Minnehaha jail, inmates ask for care through a kiosk. Emergency dental care is available, and basic pain medicine can be bought from commissary.

Deputies with the Sheriff's Office deliver arrest and bench warrants across the county, 605-297-3225 on weekdays. In Centerville, the city police can also be reached at 605-563-3911. Search a name on UJS ePayments to see whether a warrant is active. The state Corrections department also posts a DOC escapee list. Clearing a warrant means hiring or requesting counsel, then appearing together before the judge whose court signed it. Calling that court for guidance is another route. For a case filed here, that is the Clerk of Courts, 400 S. Main Avenue, Suite 203, Parker, SD 57053, 605-297-3115, who can explain the next step.

Parker's courthouse at 400 S. Main Avenue, Parker, SD 57053 hosts each state hearing for the county. Look one up with the UJS court date finder. A name or case number works as the search.

For reminder messages, register with UJS Notifications. The Clerk of Courts at 605-297-3115 can confirm a date from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

A missed hearing brings a new warrant. Skipping court is itself a Class 6 felony when the person was let out on a felony or DUI charge (SDCL 23A-43-31). Our court process guide explains each stage.

Cases brought by federal agents here are heard in Sioux Falls, in the U.S. District Court's Southern Division, 400 S. Phillips Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57104. The clerk's office is in Room 128, 605-330-6600.

1. Early on, a magistrate judge weighs release versus detention at a hearing.
2. A person kept in custody remains under the U.S. Marshals, Room 216 of that courthouse, 605-330-4351. The Marshals rent beds in local jails, so the person can show up on a county roster.
3. After sentencing, the Federal Bureau of Prisons picks a prison. From then on, their location appears on the BOP inmate locator. A search works with their name, or with the register number federal officials assigned.

Immigration custody can follow a local arrest. Expect this sequence:

1. To begin, ICE faxes or emails the holding jail its detainer, which goes by Form I-247A.
2. Next, the person can be held up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released, which gives ICE time to arrive (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Officers from the St. Paul Field Office, 1 Federal Drive, Suite 1601, Fort Snelling, MN 55111, 612-843-8600, take custody.
4. Detainees may be moved to a jail that holds people for ICE, such as the Pennington County Jail, 307 Saint Joseph St, Rapid City, SD 57701, 605-394-6116.
5. Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Searches run on an alien registration number, or on name plus native country.

Since 2025, SB 7 (SL 2025, ch 100) has been state law. Under that law, South Dakota towns and counties may not limit what their officers tell federal agents about immigration status.

A prison term moves the person from county custody to the South Dakota Department of Corrections, which picks the prison.

Check the state's DOC Offender Locator, using a name or a DOC number. Results include state prisoners only, not people in county jails or on probation. The department's main office is at 500 East Capitol Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501, 605-773-3478. Our South Dakota prison directory lists each facility.

Usually police return the child to mom, dad or a guardian. An intake officer can still order a youth held, but only for reasons listed in law (SDCL 26-8C-3).

Turner sends detained youths to Minnehaha County Regional Juvenile Detention Center, 4200 S. West Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD 57105, 605-367-4313. It is staffed around the clock. Parents can read its visiting information before calling.

SAVIN does not cover youth cases. A judge must hold a hearing before a teen can face adult court (SDCL 26-11-4).

Most arrests here come from sheriff's deputies. Use these numbers to learn who made an arrest:

• Turner County Sheriff's Office: 400 S. Main Avenue, Parker, SD 57053, 605-297-3225, weekdays 8 to 5. Deputies patrol around the clock and cover all ten towns: Centerville, Chancellor, Davis, Dolton, Hurley, Irene, Marion, Monroe, Parker and Viborg, plus the open country.
• Centerville Police Department: non-emergency 605-563-3911, answered 24 hours.
• Viborg: to ask about an arrest inside the city, call the Sheriff's Office number above.
• South Dakota Highway Patrol, District Two: 5316 West 60th Street North, Sioux Falls, SD 57107, 605-367-5700. Troopers work the highways.
• Lincoln County Communications: the 911 center for both counties. Non-emergency line 605-764-2664, any hour.

In an emergency, dial 911.