PIERRE S.D. (MITCHELLNOW) The Department of Corrections provided an update in Pierre on its plans for a new men’s penitentiary, the latest since July.
The penitentiary will cost $825 million for 1,500 prisoners, now it’s up to the appropriations committee to plan for this prison in the 2025 legislative session.
Secretary of Corrections Kellie Wasko said the old penitentiary was built to hold 400 prisoners and has 800 which creates issues. That’s especially true since staffing at the prison has not increased commensurately with the rise in prison inmate numbers.
Some residents near the proposed new site have suggested building onto and upwards at the current site. Wasko pointed out that the cost savings wouldn’t be that significant, the current prison is in the flight landing path of the Sioux Falls airport and questioned whether the FAA would give permission to build the prison taller than it is now as well as cited the age of the current facility.
There is currently a lawsuit by NOPE, a group opposed to the new prison location, that is on appeal to the South Dakota Supreme Court.