SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The members of Project Prison Reset’s task force turned their attention to public comment Thursday afternoon.
“Build with rehabilitation in mind,” Stephan Harrison of Sioux Falls said to the group.
Harrison has spent time at the South Dakota State Penitentiary, and he holds up his story as an example when addressing the lawmakers and leaders of Project Prison Reset.
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“Build with the consideration of data,” Harrison said. “Consider the success stories. I’m here sitting today, two-and-a-half years out of prison, and I would just, not boasting, but just saying, I would consider myself a success story. And there are other men and women in this room today who I would say are a success story.”
Lucas Waugh of Sioux Falls also spent time at the state penitentiary. And he took time during his remarks to point out what the different people in the room have in common.
“We all live in this world the same way,” Waugh said. “We’re all souls. We all love to feel loved, and we all should feel loved in our own same community. It’s no different between you sitting on that side of the table or me sitting over here.”
The task force examining where and how to build a new men’s prison in the state is working after the legislature declined to appropriate money to build a facility in Lincoln County, where Joel Arends is a county commissioner and Michelle Jensen lives.
“I’ve heard a lot of people not only on this committee but in the media and in the legislature say ‘Nobody wants a prison in their backyard,'” Arends said. “But guess what. Our county comprehensive plan has already said which backyards a prison can go in to and which ones it can not.”
“I want to say thank you to all of you for being here, for allowing this to be open to the public,” Jensen said. “It was not very transparent the first time around. I got to learn that potentially there was going to be a prison next to my house in the newspaper.”
And even though Sam Lint, who is currently behind bars at the South Dakota State Penitentiary, didn’t attend Thursday’s meeting in person, he was able to share his perspective with the task force thanks to his mother holding up a phone to a microphone.
“I can tell you that, yes, absolutely, we need a new prison,” Lint said over the phone. “We need a new prison that will offer the programming and the access to jobs that are not available down here right now.”
After the public testimony finished, task force members shared their appreciation.
“I think that’s very helpful to actually hear from the folks that are going through it, been through it,” Republican Sen. Chris Karr of Sioux Falls said.
“To those ministries and churches that are ministering to these people, good job. And amen,” said Republican Rep. Karla Lems, who represents Lincoln County. “And may all of us take that to heart.”
“We’re not talking about statistics here,” said Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuzien, who is serving as chair of Project Prison Reset. “We’re talking about people.”
Project Prison Reset will next meet on April 29 in Springfield, where Mike Durfee State Prison is located. The eventual plan is for a special session of the state legislature to learn in late July about the group’s recommendations.
