PIERRE - For the second consecutive fiscal year, South Dakota's prison population has decreased.

On June 30, the number of state prison inmates totaled 3,352. That is 40 fewer inmates than were in the prison system one year earlier and 117 fewer than there were on June 30, 2006.

"Going a full year without a prison population increase is a rare occurrence these days," said Corrections Secretary Tim Reisch. "Having back-to-back years like this is pretty much unprecedented. I believe that the employment of evidence-based principles and the enhancement of community-based alternatives to prison are in large part to credit for what we are experiencing here."

The Average Daily Count (ADC) of state prison inmates during state fiscal year 2008 (July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008) was 3,344, a decrease of 34 inmates from the ADC for fiscal year 2007 and a decrease of 84 inmates from the ADC for fiscal year 2006.