By Todd Epp, South Dakota Broadcasters Association.
PIERRE, S.D. (SDBA) — The Joint Appropriations Committee hearing this morning (Jan. 29, 2024) on the Department of Corrections wasn’t explicitly about the location of the proposed new men’s prison– but the $700 million project did get some attention from legislators and citizens.
DOC Sec. Kellie Wasko addressed the committee for nearly three hours, with most of that spent on recidivism rates, staffing and the minutia that goes into a large agency’s budget.
Wasko said the department has done its due diligence in siting and designing a new state of the art facility for the overcrowded men’s state penitentiary in Sioux Falls. She also made clear that “The Hill,” as the current facility is commonly referred to, is a terrible, obsolete and crumbling facility, long past replacement. Wasko says the facility puts inmates and staff in danger.
However, two citizens from Lincoln County expressed skepticism.
Retired banker and newspaper publisher Eric Hohman from Canton said he was worried about cost overruns in building the new facility. He was also concerned about operating costs that could increase taxes and reduce other services.
The head of Neighbors Opposed to Prison Expansion, Madeline Voegeli, from rural Lincoln County, questioned whether a new facility will address the men’s prison’s 30% staffing vacancy rate. She also said two other prison sites have been offered to the state rather than the state-owned site between Canton and Harrisburg.
The committee took no action on the agency’s budget or any issues surrounding the proposed men’s prison facility in Lincoln County and new prison construction for the women’s facility in Rapid City.
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