Pennington County Jail

Pennington County Jail is an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) detention facility located in Rapid City, South Dakota. It falls under the St. Paul Field Office ERO field office area of responsibility.

Facility quick reference

How to locate or contact a detainee

To locate someone in ICE custody, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator System at locator.ice.gov. You will need the person’s A-number (Alien Registration Number) and country of birth, or their full name, country of birth, and date of birth.

To ask whether someone is held here, and to leave an urgent message for a detainee, ICE publishes one number: (605) 394-6116, which it says can be called 24 hours a day for information about a detainee (checked October 16, 2026). Give the detainee’s full name, alien registration number (A-number), and your name and a phone number where you can be reached; the facility passes the message on. Detainees cannot receive incoming calls — they place outgoing calls themselves. Have the person’s biographical information ready when you call (full legal name and any aliases, date of birth, and country of birth). Contact and visitation hours vary by facility — confirm current hours by calling (605) 394-6116 or checking the official ICE page linked above.

Visiting in person

What ICE’s page for this facility says (checked October 16, 2026):

• Friends and family: public visitation in the lobby is available Monday - Friday, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m., excluding 2 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. for lockdown (effective August 1, 2020). Special management visitation hours vary; ICE says to contact the inmate for their specific times.
• All family or other social visits are non-contact. Visitors may not pass or try to pass any items to detainees, may not carry any items into the visitation area, and are not allowed to visit if they are or appear to be intoxicated.
• Video visits: from a home computer, cellphone or smart device through Securus (Visit From Home or the Securus Mobile App), or from the video kiosks in the jail lobby. Help with video visitation: Securus Customer Service, 1-877-578-3658.
• Search: everyone requesting admittance to the facility or the visitation area is subject to a pat-down search, an inspection of belongings and a metal scan; anyone refusing a reasonable search is not admitted. No firearms or weapons of any kind; no electronic devices (cell phones, pagers, radios, etc.) in the secure areas.
• Consular officials may meet with their detained nationals at any time. ICE requests that, to the extent possible, they make prior arrangements with the ICE Supervisory Deportation Officer, (605) 355-4300, and bring appropriate credentials.
• Clergy who are not part of the Religious Advisory Committee or jail programming visit from the public side on the video visitation monitors; scheduling in advance at (605) 394-6116 is recommended, and they must check in at the front desk with a government photo ID and documentation of religious leadership or their certificate of ordination. ICE’s page also says clergy may visit detainees at any time but must make prior arrangements with the Chaplain’s Office.
• Parking: free public parking is available at the facility.

Sending mail, commissary funds, and personal items

ICE’s page for this facility says letters sent to detainees must include the last four digits of the detainee’s A-number (File Number), plus the sender’s name and address (checked October 16, 2026) — and each facility publishes its own exact format. ICE lists each facility’s format on that facility’s page at ice.gov. This facility’s own ICE page says incoming mail “is not read upon opening, only inspected by the delivering officer” and that detainees may seal their own outgoing letters. ICE’s national standard allows more than that. Under ICE’s National Detention Standards, Revised 2019, §5.1(E), incoming general mail is opened and inspected for contraband, and outgoing general mail may be inspected and read if it is addressed to another detainee or staff have reason to believe it threatens the facility’s security or order, endangers someone, or could facilitate criminal activity. Only special correspondence — mail to or from attorneys and other legal representatives, courts and judges, government attorneys, embassies and consulates, the President and Vice President of the United States, members of Congress, the Department of Justice (including the immigration courts), DHS (including ICE/ERO, IHSC, CRCL and the DHS Inspector General), grievance administrators, and the news media — may not be read or copied by staff. Incoming special correspondence is inspected for contraband in the detainee’s presence; outgoing special correspondence is not opened, inspected or read, and if a need exists, any inspection takes place in the detainee’s presence. The standard limits any inspection to detecting physical contraband and confirming that enclosures qualify as special correspondence. Mail counts as special correspondence only if the envelope unambiguously identifies the title and office of the sender (incoming mail) or of the addressee (outgoing mail). Rules for commissary (account) deposits and permitted personal items vary by facility, and so does the number that handles them — ICE names a separate facility mail clerk on some facility pages. This facility’s deposit route, accepted form of payment and contacts are in the Sending Items to Detainees section of its own ICE page (linked above).

What ICE publishes for this facility’s mail, money, and packages

Checked October 16, 2026, on ICE’s page for this facility:

• Envelope format for letters:

Inmate's Name (Inmate # if known)
Pennington County Jail
307 St. Joseph Street
Rapid City, SD 57701

• All letters must go out and come into the facility through the United States Postal Service.
• Scanning: “All general mail will be scanned and a facsimile will be provided to the inmate. Originals will be discarded.” The Pennington County Jail reserves the right to inspect incoming or outgoing mail for contraband.
• Stamps: all postage stamps must be purchased on commissary; incoming mail containing stamps is returned to sender. Indigent inmates may send an unlimited number of legal letters and may request postage for one 1 oz. letter per week within the Continental U.S.
• Money by mail: inmates may receive US Postal Money Orders and Cashier’s Checks made out to Pennington County Jail; the funds are deposited to their account upon receipt, and the processing officer provides a receipt. ICE cautions detainees not to have cash sent to them in the mail.
• Books and magazines: only NEW books and NEW magazines that come directly from the publisher; no more than 5 books in an inmate’s possession. Hardcover books are allowed only if not available in soft bound, and must be approved in advance.
• Packages: packages without prior approval are returned to sender. Only items needed for the sole purpose of travel or release from custody are allowed, with approval of the ICE Deportation Officer; contact the Deportation Officer for directions on dropping off packages at the ICE Office in Rapid City, SD.
• Luggage for removal: one small piece is allowed; if the person has none, luggage can be sent or delivered after approval from the Supervisory Deportation Officer. No electronic devices (cell phones, electric razors, laptop computers, radios, etc.) are accepted.
• Transfers and departures: only legal mail is forwarded; general correspondence is returned to sender.
• E-mail and kiosk messages: e-mail to inmates costs $0.50 per message through jailatm.com; it requires an account with jailatm.com and a valid credit card on file, and e-mail can be purchased in advance at a minimum of $5.00. The facility also has kiosk machines for sending non-confidential messages.
• Phone accounts (Securus): AdvanceConnect (prepaid), Direct Bill (call charges billed to you monthly; a credit check is required to qualify) and Inmate Debit (an inmate-owned account you can fund). Listed rates for AdvanceConnect and Inmate Debit: “Interstate - 0.21/per minute” and “Intrastate - 0.28/per minute” (local 0.28/per minute; Direct Bill interstate 0.25/per minute); international rates vary by country. Securus Telephone Service Customer Service: 1-800-844-6591.
• For further rules, including the appeals process, ICE’s page refers to jail policy 530.01 Inmate Mail.

Legal access, attorneys, and immigration court information

Detainees have the right to speak with an attorney, and attorney–client visits and calls are confidential. For information about a case before the immigration court (EOIR), EOIR’s automated line 1-800-898-7180 (toll-free, 24 hours a day, English and Spanish) gives the next hearing date and case status; callers enter the 9 digits of the A-number, without the letter A (EOIR, checked October 24, 2026). For a matter before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), the main line of EOIR (the Justice Department agency the BIA belongs to) is (703) 305-0289. Applications for relief from removal must be filed directly with the immigration court handling the case. If you cannot afford an attorney, the immigration court can provide a list of pro bono legal service providers — see the related resources below.

Booking legal visits, video calls, and legal calls

What ICE’s page for this facility says (checked October 16, 2026):

• G-28s can be submitted through ERO eFile. Facility staff do not have access to ERO eFile, so legal representatives should download copies of the submitted G-28 for any in-person or remote legal visit.
• Attorney visit hours by housing unit:

• In both 2nd-floor units, only 1 professional visit is authorized at a time, in the unit’s interview room. The same ICE page also states: “Attorneys can conduct professional visits between 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., excluding any lock down times.”
• Admission: attorneys are permitted contact interviews without background screening and must present a government-issued photo ID and their State Bar card. Legal assistants, law clerks, unlicensed investigators, certified law students and paralegals must submit a Waiver To Permit Background Investigations plus a letter from the attorney’s office showing their employment there; ICE’s page says the background investigation takes approximately 7-10 business days, and approval is required before entry. All visitors must surrender the required identification to front-desk staff during business hours, or to the control room after hours and on weekends. On exit, the identification is used to confirm their identity.
• Items: weapons, purses, briefcases, tobacco products, lighters, matches, cell phones, personal electronic devices and personal laptops are not allowed within the secure perimeter; free lockers are available near the front desk, and visitors pass through a metal detector. In the onsite glass-partition booths (glass separation, two-way speakers), personal electronic devices such as laptops and cellphones may be used. Professional visitors may leave only legal material with an inmate, and any item to be exchanged must be presented to correctional staff first; ink pens, markers, paperclips, metal objects and food items are listed as contraband.
• Video: onsite video visitation is available to professionals at no cost — schedule with jail staff at (605) 394-6116. Offsite (remote) video visitation is also available; contact the same number for pricing and account setup.
• Legal calls: attorneys may receive calls from their clients that are not recorded and free of charge; request this service for your phone line at (605) 394-6116. Attorneys may also exchange encrypted email with clients (same number for details).

Sending legal documents and case questions

• Mail from a legal entity can be hand-delivered to the front desk or mailed through the Postal Service.
• Case information requests go to StPaul.Outreach@ice.dhs.gov; this mailbox does not accept applications for Stay of Removal or Case Appeals.
• Identifying a client’s Deportation Officer: Rapid City ERO Office, (605) 355-4300; a G-28 must be on file for any information to be disclosed.
• ICE says the pro bono legal organization list is posted in all detainee housing units and updated quarterly, and that contacting a provider for an appointment is the detainee’s responsibility.

Feedback, complaints, and oversight

To report a concern about conditions at this facility or the conduct of an ICE or contract employee, contact the ERO St. Paul Field Office that oversees this facility, or file a complaint with the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL). On its own Make a Civil Rights Complaint page DHS publishes one channel — the online portal at engage.dhs.gov/crcl-complaint; CBP additionally publishes, for the same office, the e-mail address CRCL@dhs.gov, fax (202) 401-4708, and the postal address DHS/CRCL, Compliance Branch, 2707 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE, Mail Stop #0190, Washington, DC 20528-0190. The DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) hotline is 1-800-323-8603.

This facility’s own ICE page adds these channels (checked October 16, 2026):

• Comments on service, or a misconduct complaint to the field office: Field Office Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 1 Federal Drive, Suite 1640, Fort Snelling, Minnesota 55111, (612) 409-7799.
• ICE Office of Professional Responsibility (by mail): Director, Office of Professional Responsibility, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 500 12th Street, SW, Suite 1049, Mailstop 5099, Washington, DC 20536-5005.
• ICE OPR Integrity Coordination Center: 1-833-4ICE-OPR or ICEOPRIntake@ice.dhs.gov.

A news media representative who wants to interview a detainee must apply in writing to the St. Paul Field Office of ERO, indicating familiarity with and agreement to comply with the facility rules and regulations provided by staff. ICE says a detainee has the right not to be interviewed, photographed or recorded by the media, and the reporter must first obtain the detainee’s written permission. Media inquiries about ICE: ICEMedia@ice.dhs.gov.

Related procedural resources

• Know Your Rights — what to do if ICE detains you
• EOIR immigration court schedules and procedures
• BIA-recognized legal-aid organizations in South Dakota
• Other ICE detention facilities in South Dakota
• All facilities under the St. Paul Field Office