July 10, 2026:
The South Dakota Department of Corrections (DOC) plans to start moving female inmates from facilities in Pierre to a newly built facility in Rapid City sometime next month (Aug. 2026).
Governor Larry Rhoden cut a “ribbon” of razor wire Friday (July 10, 2026) to signal the completion of construction of the South Dakota Women’s Correctional Facility in Rapid City. The Department of Corrections plans to begin moving offenders from the Pierre Minimum Center and Women’s Prison in Pierre to the new facility once staff training is completed.
The new, nearly 103,000 (102,750) square foot Women’s Prison has three 96-bed housing units. It includes rehabilitation options such as drug treatment, education, the Prison Fellowship Ministries program, and a 12-bed Mother Infant program building. Each of the housing units includes space for group treatment and programming activities. One of the housing units features 96 drug treatment beds in a therapeutic community, which uses a highly structured treatment approach to provide comprehensive care and target criminal thinking and substance use disorders.
The DOC has developed a partnership with Western Dakota Technical College on a one-semester Business Hospitality program to help participants build practical skills in customer service, communication, business operations, and hospitality so they are ready to enter the local workforce upon reentry. DOC is also working with Sanford Health to create a three-week Patient Care Technician program with the potential to open doors to healthcare careers by providing participants with a foundation in patient care, professionalism and workplace expectations.
Secretary of Corrections Nick Lamb says 97 percent of female offenders enter prison with a substance use disorder assessment, and this new facility will strengthen DOC’s ability to provide treatment for those women. He says through dedicated treatment space and a therapeutic community, women will receive the counseling, support, and life skills they need to break the cycle of addiction and successfully return to their families and communities.
July 10, 2026.
Courtesy photo.
March 27, 2026:
Eric Aldridge has been selected to serve as the first warden of the Rapid City Correctional Facility, scheduled to open this summer.
A majority of the female offenders currently housed at the South Dakota Department of Corrections State Women’s Prison campus in Pierre will be moved to the new facility.
State Corrections Secretary Nick Lamb says Aldridge will begin his work in South Dakota April 1, 2026.
Aldridge has 30 years of experience in corrections and brings an innovative approach to the system. He says Aldridge has worked as a rehabilitation counselor, a security assessment analyst, and has held facility leadership positions.
The Rapid City Correctional Facility will be a Level III security facility with 300 beds to house medium and minimum custody offenders, along with a Mother-Infant program. The facility will use a therapeutic community model for substance use disorder treatment with offenders receiving 4-5 hours of therapeutic interventions per day from a comprehensive team including medical, behavioral health and vocational professionals.
The facility will also feature a Business–Entrepreneurship program, a partnership between the Department of Corrections (DOC), the state Department of Labor and Regulation (DLR), and Western Dakota Technical College. As part of the Business-Entrepreneurship program, offenders will earn a certificate for the Hospitality Training Program from the Department of Tourism.
Aldridge most recently served as the warden of the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women, a Level III security facility operated by the Virginia Department of Corrections in Troy, Virginia. Aldridge holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Weber State University and an M.P.A. from Brigham Young University.
Aldridge says he’s excited for the opportunity to serve as warden of a new facility and to implement industry best practices. He says his focus is on positive change and improving the lives of offenders so that they will re-enter society as productive citizens.
Lamb says this will be a first-of-its-kind program in South Dakota, with a structured residential treatment program designed to specialize in the treatment of substance use disorders and the rehabilitation of offenders through peer and staff led, community-based therapy. He says the model hasn’t been used in other state facilities because of a lack of available programming space.
Efforts to staff the facility are underway. You can find information on available positions in security, case management, medical and behavioral health services, finance, maintenance, and electronics posted on the state Bureau of Human Resources and Administration website.
DOC and BHRA representatives will also be on-site at the DLR Rapid City Job Service Office (2330 North Maple Avenue) for a “Meet the Employer” event on April 8 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. MDT. Applicants will be able to ask questions, apply for an available position, and receive an interview.
Eric Aldridge.
Courtesy photo.
Dental operatory area.
Rapid City Women’s Correctional Facility construction photo courtesy of South Dakota Department of Corrections.
Housing unit interiors.
Rapid City Women’s Correctional Facility construction photo courtesy of South Dakota Department of Corrections.
Housing unit interiors.
Rapid City Women’s Correctional Facility construction photo courtesy of South Dakota Department of Corrections.
Housing unit interiors.
Rapid City Women’s Correctional Facility construction photo courtesy of South Dakota Department of Corrections.
Kitchen production area flooring prep.
Rapid City Women’s Correctional Facility construction photo courtesy of South Dakota Department of Corrections.
Minimum housing unit room.
Rapid City Women’s Correctional Facility construction photo courtesy of South Dakota Department of Corrections.
Mother-infant area exterior.
Rapid City Women’s Correctional Facility construction photo courtesy of South Dakota Department of Corrections.
Mother-infant area interior.
Rapid City Women’s Correctional Facility construction photo courtesy of South Dakota Department of Corrections.
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