vBEHIND BARS continued from page 17 “I knew there would be difficulties in keeping the male and female inmates apart,” he said. “They had classes and recreation together, but they were separated for meals and were kept in separate dorms for housing units.” In 1989, the DOC became a state agency. DeLano was appointed as the first Secretary of the Department of Corrections. After her departure, Jim Smith and Mike Durfee served as wardens. Dooley has served in the role since 1995. A major change came with the 1997 opening of the women’s prison in Pierre, making MDSP an all-male facility. Another change came in 2003, when the Legislature approved more beds for the Sioux Falls and Springfield prisons and a Black Hills trusty unit. The new barracks opened at Springfield in 2005. With the addition of around 340 beds, the Springfield inmate capacity increased to the current 1,275 beds. Life Behind Bars All inmates enter the South Dakota prison system at the Sioux Falls penitentiary. Prisoners can be assigned to Springfield depending on the length of their sentence and other factors such as the inmate’s crime, prior offenses and behavior while in prison. While the average MDSP inmate stay runs around 18 months, the prison does contain prisoners serving life sentences. Those inmates must meet certain requirements and have been in the DOC system for at least 25 years. “Sioux Falls Warden Darin Young and I make our recommendations to the DOC secretary on whether a lifer should be transferred to Springfield,” Dooley said. “Right now, there are nine (lifers), and they’re housed with the general population.” While still in prison, the Springfield inmates find a different environment than at the penitentiary, Dooley said. “We enforce our rules, but they aren’t as strict here as in Sioux Falls,” he said. “There is more freedom here, and the inmates have the ability to spend time outdoors and to enjoy the air and sunshine.” MDSP does contain a disciplinary segregation unit, and inmates can be returned to Sioux Falls for violations. The new prison employees sometime need to adjust to their new work environment, Dooley said. “Most of them think prison is like what they see on TV,” he said. “We also warn them that the inmates will always try to test the new staff and see how far they can go.” MDSP has generally avoided major problems when it comes to inmate disturbances, Dooley said. However, one of the best known is the “salad bar riot” in which at least some inmates were upset with the removal of the salad bar from the food service. Dooley said the disturbance was more a matter of a small group of inmates trying to create unrest. “They were young punks who were challenging things. They said it was over the salad bar, but we had explained the changes and the inmates generally accepted it,” he said. “Our staff responded immediately with assistance from the DOC, local law enforcement, Bon Homme County sheriff and the Highway Patrol. The patrol created a perimeter around the prison, and the Yankton police chief also asked if we needed assistance.” vBEHIND BARS continued on page 19 JOIN OUR TEAM!! We are hiring for all shifts in all areas of production. 750 Sign On Bonus $ PRESS BREAK OPERATOR AND SAW OPERATOR: Responsibilities include knowledge of reading blue prints, ability to operate equipment necessary ASSEMBLERS: Mechanically inclined assembler with 1 year related work experience. Blueprint reading experience a plus. TUBE MACHINE OPERATORS: 1 year mechanical work experience needed. Ability to operate machinery necessary. INDUSTRIAL PAINTER AND BASTER: Industrial paint experience preferred, but will train suitable applicant. 1st Shift Monday-Friday 7am–3pm 2nd Shift Monday-Thursday 3pm–1am 3rd Shift Sunday-Friday 11pm–7am Basic math, computer, and mechanical skills are required. We offer competitive wages, great benefit package, 401K and family orientated business. Clean work environment. Must be 18 or older and have a HS diploma/GED and ability to pass pre-employment screenings. Applications can be completed by going to.... 18vHISVOICEvNOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017 MESABI.COM