The South Dakota Department of Corrections (DOC) says it will not respond to questions about the reasons for closing two of its three facilities on the grounds of the state prison in Sioux Falls.

A DOC press release about the lockdown of the prison and the maximum security Jameson Annex prison was sent out after 11 p.m. Sunday. The agency does not know how long the lockdown will remain in effect, the press release said, and all visits have been canceled, except for attorney meetings and previously scheduled and approved special visits.

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Communication between inmates and their families and friends outside the facility could also be impaired.

“We will manage the offender phone service during the duration of the curfew. This may mean that the phone service will be temporarily disabled at times,” the press release said.

The press release goes on to say that the agency “will not respond to further questions and inquiries during the curfew.”

“If publication of additional information is justified, it will be made available on the agency’s website and social media channels,” it says.

According to the DOC website, the prison and Jameson Annex housed 1,262 inmates as of August 31. The Sioux Falls Minimum Center, a low-security facility for inmates on work release, was not mentioned in the curfew press release. That facility housed 238 people at the end of August.

It is unclear how many times the correctional facility has been locked down so far in 2024.

Lockdowns were imposed after two riots in March, which ultimately led to charges for several prisoners and two people outside the prison who are accused of collaborating with prisoners in illegal activities.

The March incidents followed a decision by the DOC to temporarily disable tablet-based communications to conduct an “ongoing investigation” that the agency has not yet explained to the public. Phone calls via the tablet have resumed — with a 20-minute time limit and a limit of five calls per day — but inmates still cannot use the tablet’s text messaging feature.

There were also riots at Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield in July. In two separate outbreaks of violence among inmates, six inmates were injured, according to the DOC.

Aside from saying the situation is under control and announcing the number of injured inmates, the DOC has not released any further details about the incident, saying only that allegations of higher injury numbers and other claims made by inmates at Springfield are “inaccurate.”

“Information that is safety-related and/or part of an ongoing investigation will not be released,” DOC spokesman Michael Winder wrote to South Dakota Searchlight on July 29.

DOC Secretary Kellie Wasko told the state’s Government Operations and Audit Committee over the summer that she was willing to explain the “hard details” of the incidents to lawmakers behind closed doors, but that she would not discuss them in public meetings for security reasons.