OCTOBER 6, 2023:
The South Dakota Department of Corrections (DOC) has agreed to purchase two 160-acre parcels of land in rural Lincoln County. This land provides a sufficient site plan for a new men’s prison to replace much of the current State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls.
“This site is the best choice for a modern correctional facility that supports our state’s public safety needs, minimizes the impact on community growth, and keeps us close to available workforce,” said Kellie Wasko, Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Corrections. “We appreciate Governor Noem’s leadership, the Legislature’s financial support, and Commissioner Greenfield’s work to secure this land for the state’s public safety needs for generations to come.”
In both 2022 and 2023, the South Dakota State Legislature provided funding for the Incarceration Construction Fund for the purpose of constructing new prison facilities in South Dakota, including a new men’s prison. In 2023, the Legislature passed and Governor Noem signed HB 1017, which appropriated $52 million to purchase land and contract for architectural services, engineering services, and other required services to build a new men’s prison. That legislation also appropriated an additional $270.7 million for construction of the facility.
In July 2023, Governor Noem indicated, “we will be able to avoid unnecessary debt by using [the state’s $96.8 million budget surplus] for future prison construction costs.”
The land is located in rural Lincoln County on the western side of the corner of 477th and 278th street. The land is already owned by the state of South Dakota through the Office of School and Public Lands. State law allows School and Public Lands to transfer property to another government entity for the appraised value. The appraised value of both parcels has been set at a total of $7,910,000. Using land the state already owns is a financially responsible choice.
Commissioner Brock Greenfield acknowledged the historic role of the school and public land office: “This sale allows us to fulfill our constitutional duty to make money for education while providing a key public safety need for future.” The Office of School and Public Lands was established at statehood in 1889 just a few years after the current state prison was built in 1881.
MARCH 2, 2023:
(South Dakota Broadcasters Association)– Spending bills authorizing over $380 million for new men’s and women’s state prisons passed the South Dakota Senate yesterday (March 1, 2023).
HB 1016, which allocates $60 million to construct a women’s facility in Rapid City, passed 32 to 1. The money comes from the state’s incarceration construction fund. Building a women’s prison in Rapid City would expand the capacity of the Department of Corrections to house and rehabilitate female offenders.
HB 1017, which allocates around $320 million in planning and purchasing land for a men’s facility in the Sioux Falls area, also passed 32 to 1. Approximately $217 million will go into the incarceration construction fund for work following the design phase. The remainder will be used for planning and the purchase of land.
The state still needs to decide where the new men’s facility will be built in the Sioux Falls area. The men’s prison would replace most of the current penitentiary campus in Sioux Falls. “The Hill” overlooking the Falls of the Big Sioux River in Sioux Falls was built in 1881 when South Dakota was still a territory. The state has yet to decide how that facility– with its massive stone walls– could be used for other purposes or would be torn down.
There was no debate on either bill.
The bills now head to Gov. Kristi Noem for her consideration.
FEBRUARY 27, 2023:
The South Dakota House passes two large spending bills for planning a new women’s prison in Rapid City and the planning and purchase of land for a new men’s facility in the Sioux Falls area.
HB 1016, the bill allocating $60 million for the women’s prison, passed 66 to 2, without debate. It now goes to a Senate committee.
However, HB 1017, which would provide around $52 million to purchase land for the men’s new facility and move nearly $184 million from the state budget reserve into a prison building fund, met some opposition.
“This is a core state obligation,” said Republican House Majority Leader Will Mortenson from Pierre. “We can’t say I wish it would go away or not do it. No one is happy with this. It will be safer for prisoners and rehabilitation. It will be safer for the guards.”
Republican Rep. Marty Overweg from New Holland said legislators should slow the process because of too many unanswered questions.
“This is government gone wild,” Overweg said. “It is an open checkbook. This will cost the taxpayers of South Dakota hundreds of millions of dollars.”
One legislator asked if the state could bond for the new prison. However, HB 1017 prime sponsor, Republican Rep. Tony Venhuizen, said the state could only bond up to $200 million. After that, the state would lose its triple-A bond rating.
According to the state Department of Corrections, the cost estimate for the new men’s prison is between $535 and $550 million. The funding bill passed 53 to 16.
HB 1017 will also now go to a Senate committee.
FEBRUARY 22, 2023:
South Dakota Legislative appropriators passed two bills today (Feb. 22, 2023) that provide new or continuing funding to build a women’s prison in Rapid City and a new men’s prison in the Sioux Falls area.
HB 1016, allocates $60 million for the first phase of the design and development of the new women’s facility in Rapid City.
HB 1017, allocates over $340 million for the first two phases of design and construction for the men’s facility in Sioux Falls. The current state penitentiary in Sioux Falls was built in 1881.
South Dakota Correction Secretary Kellie Wasko says the Sioux Falls prison no longer serves its purpose, needs repairs and is unsafe for staff and inmates. She says the original prison–“The Hill”–was built for single occupancy cells. Now, most cells house “multiple” inmates in them.
As to the women’s prison, Wasco said the current design has three, 96-bed housing units. When asked if the prison could add more space, she said they could expand upward another story or two, but they’d need more staff to do it. She said modern prison design is on one level, which is easier to manage and staff and safer for inmates and employees.
Currently, Wasko says all of the state’s prison facilities are over capacity or nearly so. She says the Corrections Department expects prisoner numbers to continue increasing because of the state’s population growth, particularly on the men’s side. She says new facilities will allow for better programming and better separation of classes of inmates.
Both appropriation bills passed on 17 to 0 votes. They now go to the House floor.
FEBRUARY 1, 2023:
Members of the Joint Committee on Appropriations of the South Dakota legislature heard more about issues in the state prisons.
Corrections Department Secretary Kellie Wasko says they hold more prisoners than the system is designed for.
Wasko says the penitentiary in Sioux Falls is not safe for staff or prisoners.
Wasko says told the committee that land they bought in Rapid City for a new prison won’t work for the initial design.
Wasko also detailed their ongoing staffing issues in Pierre, Sioux Falls and Springfield.
The Joint Committee on Appropriations is working through the Corrections Department’s budget requests.
(Story courtesy of news partner WNAX.)
Why don’t we stop arresting so many people? Or at least make minor offenses not have jail time. Save money on public defenders too. Minor crimes should be a fine, not a court case. Major offenders – Rehabilitate and help them get a job, instead of paying for them to live off of the people in an expensive crappy cell. Our SD Legislature just wants to fund more attorneys and build more jails. Solve the problem, don’t increase it!!