There’s a chance the new men’s prison could get located somewhere other than the greater Sioux Falls area.
Widespread public opposition to a proposed 1,500-bed, $825 million, men’s prison in a field in Lincoln County has a governor appointed task force looking at other options.
“Wrapping our arms around that and trying to come up with a plan will be tricky," said Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen during a recent interview on In The Moment.
The Project Prison Reset task force agrees the 144-year-old men’s prison needs to be replaced.
Of the 13 locations presented to the group, nine are still located in the Sioux Falls area. However, four other options in Grant County, Aberdeen, Huron and Mitchell are on the table. They’ve been available for review for about two weeks, now. Lieutenant Gov. Venhuizen says he expects the task force will hear from the public about these proposed sites soon.
“The question was asked, ‘Well, how will we know what the public thinks?’ I said, ‘I’m pretty confident we will know what the public thinks.’ That hasn’t seemed to be an issue. That has been true," Venhuizen added. "Some more than others.”
A 2021 report recommends the state build a new facility near Sioux Falls to maintain the workforce needed to run the prison.
Gov. Larry Rhoden has recently said “all cards are on the table” in terms of where a prison could be located.
Mitchell development officials say a proposed location near the city landfill south and east of town is an option. According to a list of proposals, that 160-acre site would cost the state 2.8 million.
State Senator Paul Miskimins, R-Mitchell, said there will likely be opposition to the proposal at first.
“But, I think once the neighbors see how secure the plan is and how safe they would be, I think in the long term that it would be well received, and people would perceive and know that it’s a benefit to this region," Miskimins said.
He added Mitchell Technical College would be a great asset for educating and providing job training for inmates.
Many view that—as well as rehabilitation, drug treatment and counselling as essential to helping correct people in the system. The current men’s prison is overcrowded, operating at 182 percent capacity. Corrections officials say that makes providing that programming difficult.
A separate legislative task force is looking at ways to reduce recidivism in the corrections system. Forty percent of formerly incarcerated individuals in South Dakota return to prison.
Miskimins said the Mitchell community would have an initial challenge in providing and housing the work force needed for the new facility.
“I think we’ve been doing good a developing housing and that’s a good thing, so we’re not so far behind as we were," Miskimins added. "Daycare is always a challenge for employment. We’re not as big a community as Sioux Falls. That’s kind of a statewide challenge.”
Miskimins said it’s time for the state to build a new prison, regardless of location.
The City of Huron identified an industrial zone in the northeastern corner of the city that officials say will work for the men’s prison.
Rep. Scott Van Diepen, R-Huron, said he’s heard from people who are both for and against the idea.
“They don’t want it in their neighborhood, which is typical in the state. I don’t think there’s anybody that’s jumping up and down to have a prison, but we definitely need to rebuild one," Van Diepen said. "But, then I’ve also heard the other side, where it’s economic development.”
Huron is home to Trussbilt, a security and detention equipment manufacturer that Van Diepen said has been in contact with him and would like to be involved in helping build the prison.
In the northeast part of the state, Grant County has proposed the new prison be located on the campus of a former food processing plant in Big Stone City.
The Aberdeen Development Corporation said two plots of land near the city are suitable for a corrections facility.
The group said its population base has a low unemployment rate, but that a growing criminal justice department at Northern State University would provide direct educational pathways to careers in corrections.
Rep. Brandei Schaefbauer, R-Aberdeen, said the university has a robust nursing program and mental health system—which can provide rehabilitation.
“I think we have to look at everything from the issue at hand—why they went to jail, to get them out of jail and into the workforce and make them productive citizens," Schaefbauer said.
Lt Gov. Venhuizen said opposition to location is a factor the group will consider, but not the sole factor.
“There’s probably no site where everyone will be happy. Maybe that will give a little perspective about the Lincoln County site, too," He said. "Yes, there’s opposition to that Lincoln County site, but there’s also opposition to the others.”
The task force's next meeting is June 3, in Pierre. It'll be the third of four meetings.
As for whether the task force is on track to present prison project options at a July 22 special session...
"That remains to be seen," Venhuizen said.
