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Dozen inmates die in South Dakota Prisons during 2002--
Only two were serving life without parole sentences
By Hazel Bonner
Posted to the South Dakota Prisoner's Support Group by Marletta Pacheco
PIERRE - Prison sentences ranging from two to 25 years became death
sentences this year for 10 inmates in South Dakotaˇ¦s prisons. An
examination of South Dakota Department of Corrections news releases
during the year 2002 revealed this year to date has been deadly for
persons in custody of the department of corrections. News releases
from the Department of Corrections detailing the deaths of 12
inmates during the year were reviewed.
Six of the deaths were from natural causes. Two of those
deaths were of persons sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Suicide contributed to three deaths, homicide to two and an
accidental death on a work crew caused the other death. Additionally
two inmates charged in the homicides could get the death penalty.
The youngest inmate death was that of Neil Ambrose, 22, who
died August 1 as a result of an accident while he was working on a
work crew outside the prison. Ambrose was assigned to a crew doing
storm cleanup on a farm near Sinai when he came in contacted with a
live downed power line.
Three inmates committed suicide while in the custody of DOC.
Those occurred as follows:
February 22 - Chris Masters, 29, was found hanging in his
cell. He was serving a 15-year sentence for possession of a weapon
by a prisoner.
February 27 - Shane Luce, 29, was found dead in his cell in
the Jameson annex. Luce had been returned to prison on January 31
for violating his suspended sentence for drunk driving.
October 14 - Robert Schaefer, 29, a walk away from a Yankton
Trustee work release job was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot
wound in his wife's home in Tyndall. He had been serving a 10 year
sentence for grand theft.
Two inmates were victims of assaults by a cell mate leading
to their deaths. Those deaths were:
July 7 - Andrew Young, 23, found dead in the Jameson
segregation unit. Young had been serving a five year sentence for
grand theft at the time of his death. His cell mate, Chris Fonseca,
29, is charged in his death and could receive the death penalty, if
convicted.
August 5 - Steven Heckel, 49, died of injuries from an
assault in his cell in the Jameson Segregation unit. Heckel was
serving a six year sentence for aggravated assault. His cell mate,
Chris Hill, 26, is charged in his death and could receive the death
penalty for the homicide.
The two deaths from natural causes of inmates who had been
sentenced to life without parole were:
February 6 - Otis Shaffer, 77. Shaffer had been hospitalized
since December 29. He had been in prison since April 9, 1963.
April 4 - Michael Jenner, 53. Jenner had been incarcerated since
April 6, 1987
The two deaths from natural causes of inmates who had
been sentenced to life without parole were:
February 6 - Otis Shaffer, 77. Shaffer had been hospitalized
since December 29. He had been in prison since April 9, 1963.
April 4 - Michael Jenner, 53. Jenner had been incarcerated
since April 6, 1987
Four other inmates died of natural causes. Those deaths were:
August 19 - Gerald Thies, 69, was found dead in his cell. He
was serving a 25 year sentence for criminal pedophilia.
August 26 - Duane Engelhorn, 63, was found unresponsive in
his cell. Engelhor had been sentenced to five years in prison for
indecent exposure.
October 12 - Everett Alexander, 62. Does pf am apparent
heart attack in Unit C of the Jameson Annex. He was serving a four
year sentence for drunk driving.
October 28 - Wilbert Gillette, 76, was found unresponsive in
his cell. Gillette was serving a five-year sentence for sexual
contact with a child.
Because South Dakota does not allow parole for any person
sentenced to life in prison, those persons receiving life sentences
will die in prison, unless a sentence is commuted to a term of
years. The costs of keeping older inmates is much greater because of
increased medical care required for those inmates. North Dakota does
not have such a sentence.
South Dakota had nearly $60 million in direct expenditures for
corrections during Fiscal year 1997 while North Dakota had less than
$ 21 millions in costs according to The sourcebook of Criminal
Justice Statistics, 2000. One contributing factor in the high costs
in South Dakota is the high rate of inmates over age 50 in South
Dakota.
Bonner is a free lance writer who writes from her home. She may be
reached electronically at hbonpidge1@hotmail.com, by phone at (605)
343-4467, or by mail at PO Box 3712, Rapid City, SD 57709-3712.
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