A recent South Dakota prison report recommends the state build a 1,700 bed men’s prison near Sioux Falls.
The best place for a new men’s prison is within a thirty-minute commute
from the existing men’s prison. That’s according to the Arrington Watkins report for a governor-appointed task force looking to replace the state’s current 144-year-old facility, located in Sioux Falls. This will allow the Department of Corrections to utilize current officers to staff a new facility.
Officials in the state’s largest municipality say they support the idea, just not in city limits.
Recent letters obtained by SDPB addressed to the Project Prison Reset task force, written by Mayor Paul TenHaken and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, say four proposed locations in Sioux Falls would affect the city's "continued vitality," which directly benefits the state.
"Sites near Foundation Park, the I-90/I-29 interchange, and the Cliff Avenue/60th Street corridor are areas of significant strategic importance—not simply for Sioux Falls, but for the state as a whole," TenHaken wrote.
Instead, Sioux Falls officials support putting the prison at the initially proposed Lincoln County site, which the state already owns, or at an industrial park along I-29 just south of Worthing.
The letters are part of a public input process on the over dozen potential locations for a men's prison ahead of the task force's next meeting on June 3.
The group unanimously agrees the prison should be replaced. It must now decide where and how big the prison should be.
Meanwhile, officials in Mitchell see opportunity and opposition to building a prison near the city.
“People don’t want a prison, necessarily, in their neighborhood or town because it’s a scary thing," said Mitchell Mayor Jordan Hanson.
Hanson said he sees benefit to building and staffing a $1 billion project.
“We have all the infrastructure. We’ve made a ton of investments. We probably have one of the best locations," Hanson said. "Now, would that come with some bad stuff? Yeah, absolutely it would.”
Hanson said he wants to hear whether Mitchell is a serious contender for the proposed prison to avoid splitting the community.
There are a dozen locations the prison task force is considering. Huron, Aberdeen and Grant County have also submitted placement options for the men’s prison.
