The South Dakota Board of Pardons and Paroles hears from Department of Corrections staffer Stacy Cole on July 13, 2023, at the Jamison Annex of the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls. (Photo by John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden is looking for parole board applicants.
Rhoden needs to appoint a replacement for Ken Albers, the former Lincoln County sheriff, state lawmaker and 15-year parole board member who announced his retirement from the board last week.
Had he stayed, the governor could have reappointed him to another four-year term on the nine-member board in January.
Albers was one of three members appointed through the governor’s office. The attorney general’s office chooses three members, as does the chief justice of the state Supreme Court.
Appointments require the advice and consent of the state Senate.
To be considered for the board, a candidate must be a resident of South Dakota.
The board meets for one week each month to decide on parole, and to make recommendations to the governor for commutations or pardons.
A press release from Rhoden’s office says anyone interested in the position can reach out to Katie Hruska at katie.hruska@state.sd.us. The deadline for applications is Nov. 21.
