Some conversations and arguments surrounding a proposed prison site in Mitchell were brought forward in an organized community debate.
Tapping not clapping. That’s how Mitchell citizens showed approval at the McGovern Center’s community debate on the proposed prison site Tuesday night.
Though many arguments were made both for and against the prison, much talk focused on prisoners being released.
Rep. Jeff Bathke worked in the Department of Corrections for 17 years. He said before an inmate can get released, there’s a rigorous release plan that has to be approved by counselors and parole agents, and if it’s not approved…
“Your case gets kicked back to the unit counselor and the reentry team, and you start that process over again,” Bathke said.
Bathke, who’s on a legislative summer study looking at recidivism rates in the state and how to lower them, said the study ties directly to the conversations today.
“What saddens me is not one person in this room tonight was at that recidivism meeting today. And maybe they didn’t know, because I don’t believe it was very well advertised," Bathke said. "But other than the media and some concerned family members of some concerned inmates, I’m not sure there was anybody else there.”
MiKayla Johnson spoke against the proposed Mitchell site. She said a large concern is the lack of resources Mitchell can offer compared to a place like Sioux Falls.
“We’re talking over 200,000 people in Sioux Falls with the places already in place, the workers already in place, and they’re already taking care of this population. We are a very small town, and we don’t have these resources today," Johnson said. "So not only are we concerned with staffing the prison, but if we actually care about these inmates, then we need to also staff these homeless shelters and rehab shelters and everything to be able to help them.”
Johnson added she won't deny there are economic benefits for the area, but that her research leads her to believe those aren't long-term effects.
"When you hear the economic growth in the beginning, that is from building the prison. With the prison, we are going to see this boom in construction-phase and maybe a year or two in. But then, we will see the downturn of that. We're going to see a lot of effects to our tourism here," Johnson said. "They say we have all the tools to hold all these new families and children and houses, but they'll just be replacing the people that are already here. A little bit of money in the beginning is not a reason why to completely uproot an entire community that's been here for generations just for new people and an added spreadsheet."
A state-commissioned analysis recommended the prison should be built near Sioux Falls due to workforce availability and community services.
The last speaker of the night said he doesn’t care if the prison is built in Mitchell. Toby Kippes is a Mitchell resident and convicted felon. He said all he wants is people to stop believing stereotypes about former incarcerated individuals like himself.
“There’s a lot of people out here that are doing great things every single day, hardworking people, raising families, getting their life together, moving from the Oxford house. These are people in your community. These are people that you brush shoulders with. These are people that you pump gas next to. You might even work next to one and you don’t even know.”
Rep. Bathke agreed, saying he thinks some of the information being put out there about released and former inmates isn't fairly portraying them.
"If you pull a, 'I read a study on some town in Mississippi,' well that doesn't relate to the state of South Dakota," Bathke said.
He added a lot of the data can be found on the Department of Corrections website. He said, for example, last year 41 people in Davison County were sentenced to prison.
"Let's just say that we had 41 people released from prison that came here. How many people in this room know who those 41 people are? They don't. Because we don't make them wear a label around their head that shows they're a parolee or even a flat timer," Bathke said. "They did their time. They're a human being just like the rest of us. And unless they have a sex crime or something similar to that that they can't live in a certain area of town, they're a human being, they can go live where they want."
Leola Sen. Mark Lapka was present at the debate and is on the Project Prison Reset Task Force. He said that, although he hasn't decided where he's going to throw his support, he's heard the outcry from Mitchell.
"All I do know is that since Mitchell was selected as one of the potential sites in the last task force meeting, I've just been getting a whole bunch of emails. I mean, in the hundreds," Lapka said. "And I felt it was partially my responsibility to come down and see what was going on."
He said it's a complex issue, and that the pros, like economic development and jobs, as well as the cons, like people not wanting a prison in proximity to their community, are things the legislature needs to heavily consider at any potential site.
So, whether citizens here tonight are tapping for or against the prison, the decision is no longer in their hands. The final prison decision rests in the hands of the Legislature, where a 2/3 vote is needed to approve any site.
A special legislative session had been set for July 22, but lawmakers pushed that date back to give more time to analyze proposed sites. A new date has not yet been set.
