Even if the state of South Dakota constructs a 1,500-bed, multi-custody facility to house male inmates, the state should take steps to construct an additional facility – or facilities – of a similar bed size within the next ten years.
That’s according to a highly anticipated report by architecture firm Arrington Watkins, which recommends the state move forward with constructing a 1,500 bed men’s prison.
Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen is chair of the Project Prison Reset task force. He called the report a “reality check.”
“That we have to weigh our decisions about criminal justice against the cost of incarceration," Venhuizen said.
Last month, the task force unanimously voted in favor of the position the state should replace the 144-year-old men’s prison in Sioux Falls.
For years, lawmakers have tucked away money to fund construction for a new prison, but efforts to build one in a field in Lincoln County lacked legislative support. Some lawmakers were also concerned about the guaranteed maximum price of $825 million to construct the facility.
If the state’s criminal charging landscape remains, Arrington Watkins estimates the prison population would grow by three percent annually. It estimates its full recommendation is $2 billion worth of prison expansion within the next ten years.
“I hope that this report informs the legislature’s work over the next year about, ‘What are our policies going forward for incarceration and what are those costs?’" Venhuizen added.
A separate legislative task force wants to look at ways to reduce recidivism in the corrections system.
In addition to another 1,500 bed men’s prison, the report also recommends expanding the Sioux Falls Minimum Center by 300 beds.
The task force is scheduled to meet again on June 3 in Pierre.
