“We treat trauma like crime, and call it justice. That ends now.”
✳️ Why This Is Needed
We’ve built a system that criminalizes pain instead of treating it.
People struggling with trauma, mental illness, or addiction aren’t given care—they’re given charges. Instead of therapy, they get probation. Instead of healing, they get handcuffs. We throw pills at symptoms and call it treatment, or lock people away for relapsing and call it justice.
And when someone finally asks for help?
They’re met with waiting lists, bureaucrats, and bills they can’t afford.
In South Dakota, we’ve got jails full of people who needed help years ago—and nobody wants to talk about it.
We don’t have a crime wave. We have a wave of untreated wounds.
We don’t need more cops—we need more compassion.
This isn’t weakness. This is survival. For families. For veterans. For kids. For all of us.
🌱 What We Could Have
We could build a system where people are met with care before they’re met with cuffs.
Imagine a South Dakota with community clinics in every county—where a person in crisis can walk in and be seen, not screened.
Where long-term recovery isn’t a privilege—it’s a public right.
We could treat addiction and mental health like the health issues they are—rooted in trauma, stress, loneliness, malnutrition, and disconnection.
And we could replace revolving-door treatment centers and court-ordered failure with real stability, real housing, and real dignity.
No more waiting until someone “hits bottom.”
We raise the floor instead.
🛠 How We Achieve It
Build a Mental Health & Recovery Clinic Network across South Dakota with one center per county—offering walk-in access, therapy, caseworkers, and long-term care referrals
Expand mobile outreach units for rural and tribal communities, staffed with peer mentors and social workers trained in crisis response
Legalize and protect peer-led recovery housing, faith-based support systems, and community detox options
Create a Trauma Recovery Training Standard for law enforcement, probation officers, social workers, and public educators
Fund non-profit treatment centers directly—cutting out the for-profit rehab industry that profits from relapse
Launch a State Addiction Recovery Fund, partially paid for by a tax on pharmaceutical opioid sales and court settlements
Integrate addiction recovery and mental health services into public schools, veterans’ centers, and post-incarceration programs
Legally reclassify addiction as a health condition, not a criminal risk—ensuring no one is punished for being sick
We can be the first state that treats trauma with healing, not punishment—and leads the nation in recovery instead of recidivism.
This Act shall be known as the “Healing and Recovery Act of South Dakota.”
The Legislature of South Dakota finds:
(1) The State of South Dakota hereby classifies addiction and mental health conditions as medical disorders to be treated by licensed professionals, not punished by criminal enforcement.
(2) All state agencies shall revise their regulations and public communications accordingly.
(1) The Department of Health shall establish a Mental Health & Recovery Clinic Network—one publicly funded, walk-in clinic per county by 2028.
(2) Clinics shall offer:
(3) The State shall deploy Mobile Recovery Outreach Units to rural and tribal communities, staffed by:
(1) In coordination with state courts, counties may establish Treatment-First Diversion Tracks for:
(2) These tracks may include:
(3) Judges shall be encouraged to prioritize treatment over incarceration for all eligible cases under this section.
(1) A South Dakota Healing & Recovery Fund shall be established, financed by:
(2) No less than 60% of funds must be allocated to non-profit or public treatment providers.
(1) All state licensing and zoning laws shall be revised to protect and legalize:
(2) No agency may discriminate against peer-led programs for receiving state funding, provided they meet minimum safety and reporting standards.
(1) The State shall implement a Trauma Recovery Certification program for:
(2) Certification shall include training in:
(1) Public schools may apply for grants to:
If any part of this Act is found invalid or in conflict with federal law, the remainder shall continue in full force.
This Act shall take effect on January 1, 2026, with full implementation of the clinic network by January 1, 2028.
We’re not building more prisons. We’re building clinics, recovery homes, and pathways to life. Because a healed citizen is worth more than a jailed one—and we still believe in redemption.