Noem released – Former Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem is facing scrutiny after 12 of 19 prisoners granted early release while she was South Dakota governor were later charged with new offences, following clemency orders issued without a customary review.
Kristi Noem is facing fresh scrutiny after 12 of 19 former prisoners she released early while serving as South Dakota governor were later charged with new crimes.
The issue centres on clemency orders Noem issued between 2019 and 2025, when she held the governor’s post.. She took what was described as a highly unusual step: granting commutations to 19 prisoners without the customary review by the state Board of Pardons and Paroles. the South Dakota Searchlight reported.
What those prisoners were serving time for, and how they were selected, is not clear from the information published.. But the fallout is already visible in court: three of those individuals. released in 2022. have since pleaded guilty to new charges.. Those charges include drug possession, misdemeanor domestic violence and driving under the influence.
Other releases have also been dogged by alleged reoffending. Nine inmates released in 2023 are suspected of committing new crimes. Six are alleged to have committed drug possession, two drug distribution, and one domestic violence; the domestic violence charge was later dropped.
The scrutiny also extends beyond the 19 commutations that did not go through the board.. Noem issued a further eight clemency orders that were reviewed by the Board of Pardons and Paroles during her time in office.. Five were released, and one has since been charged with a new crime, Searchlight reported.
The pattern is stark in the numbers that are being drawn together: 19 commutations were issued without the board’s customary process. then multiple released prisoners—three in 2022 and nine in 2023—featured again in new criminal cases. alongside a separate case involving one of the board-reviewed releases.
Noem was fired by President Donald Trump in March after her tenure at the Department of Homeland Security ended amid episodes described as chaos and scandal.. While she led DHS, two Americans were killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.. After leaving DHS, she was given a newly created role as “Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas.”
In South Dakota, the governor has exclusive authority to issue commutations and pardons.. Commutations affect sentences currently being served, while pardons relate to past offences.. A commutation can result in early release if a sentence is later found to be unjust. while a pardon removes prior convictions from an individual’s record.
Typically, the commutation process begins with an application to the Board of Pardons and Paroles, not the governor directly.. Applicants are expected to clear a two-person screening panel before a recommendation is considered by the full nine-person board.. At screening. there is review of the applicant’s record of conduct—both in and out of jail—along with interviews with the inmate. their sponsors and opponents.. If a majority of the nine board members agree on early release. the matter is then passed to the governor’s office.
South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden, Noem’s successor, has issued two commutations since taking office and sought approval from the Board of Pardons and Paroles on both. In both instances, he received board approval. Rhoden has also issued 90 pardons.
The political stakes are also playing out ahead of the governor’s race.. South Dakota Representative Dusty Johnson. one of three people running against Rhoden in the Republican primary for governor on June 2. has pledged to create a public safety task force if he wins.. Johnson said he wants to “reform the clemency process” and “help ensure violent criminals are prevented from repeatedly harming the public.”
Rhoden, speaking to Searchlight, said he does not support changing the system, telling the outlet that it “is not broken, and I do not support changing it.”
The Independent has contacted Noem for comment.
Kristi Noem South Dakota governor Board of Pardons and Paroles commutations pardons clemency process Larry Rhoden Dusty Johnson prisoners charged with new crimes
So she just… let them go and then they did crimes again. Sounds about right.
Not gonna lie, this makes her look really reckless. If they didn’t do the usual review, what were they even thinking? Also “not clear” from the article is kinda sus.
Wait, I thought “clemency orders” is like just signing stuff right? Like isn’t that always without board review sometimes? Either way, the fact some were charged with DUI and domestic violence later… wow.
I don’t even know who Kristi Noem is but this headline alone is enough for me. Releasing prisoners without the board review sounds like she picked them personally or something. And then they get charged again, so now everyone’s acting surprised. Prison reform is fine but this feels like politics. Also the numbers (3 in 2022, 9 in 2023) like… that’s not a good look. I bet they’ll say the charges prove nothing, but still, come on.