Minnehaha County OKs state agreements to continue jail medication treatment and competency restoration

The Minnehaha County Commission authorized the chair to sign two 2025 subrecipient agreements with the South Dakota Department of Social Services to continue medication-assisted treatment and in-jail competency restoration services at the Minnehaha County Jail.

Warden Mike Mattson described both items as renewals of existing programs. "This is a a renewal of an agreement that we've had for the past couple years, for doing our medication assisted treatment inside the jail," Mattson said. About the competency restoration program he said, "So far, we've had 69 people go through the program." He also told commissioners that the Department of Social Services (DSS) pays the program costs for participants.

The competency restoration agreement includes a "slight reduction in the amount of money that we're getting for housing and, medication and medical treatment for persons inside the jail participating in the jail competency restoration," Mattson said, attributing the change to historical funding levels. Mattson also said the county began providing in-jail competency restoration in August or September 2021.

Commissioners moved and seconded both authorizations and approved them by roll call. The transcript records the motions and votes but does not include line-item budget details or the exact reduced dollar amounts.

The approvals keep in place two county programs that the jail and county officials said are designed to provide treatment and competency services without direct cost to defendants, with DSS covering program expenses. The agreements were described in the meeting as renewals rather than new programs; no controversy or public opposition to the agreements was recorded in the transcript.

Next steps: the chair will sign the subrecipient agreements and county staff will continue administering the programs under the terms of the renewed contracts.