SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Project Prison Reset, the group of lawmakers and other leaders taking a new look at how and where to build a new men’s prison in South Dakota, has met for the first time. Wednesday, the task force visited a rural section of Lincoln County between Canton and Harrisburg where the state was planning to put a new men’s prison until a bill to appropriate money to build the facility failed in February.
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The group also toured the current state penitentiary in Sioux Falls Wednesday, and Minnehaha County State’s Attorney Daniel Haggar was not mincing words on what he saw.
“I think everyone would agree, walking through those facilities this morning, we have a lot of people in there,” said Haggar, who is on the task force. “We have a lot of people packed in there. It’s not safe.”
Republican state Sen. Ernie Otten, who’s also on the task force, lives around 10 miles from the Lincoln County site.
“One thing I think is a given, no matter where you try to put this, you’re going to have resistance from folks,” Otten said. “Nobody wants a prison next door to them.”
And he’s heard a lot from people who live nearby.
“They’re not happy,” Otten said.
Even though the state had focused on putting a new men’s prison at the Lincoln County site, South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden said anything is possible when announcing the task force’s creation. Otten wants to hear about other spots.
“We have to find out what were the other sites that they looked at, and so we’ll take a peek at those,” Otten said.
After all, in more ways than one, the new look at a familiar question is about what comes next: not only for the state and its Department of Corrections, but for the people behind bars, wherever that might eventually be.
“We need to have a plan to address how we’re going to incarcerate folks safely, but also that other big component, have the spaces for rehabilitation, for preparing for reentry,” said Republican Sen. Chris Karr of Sioux Falls, who sits on the task force.
The group will gather at the Military Heritage Alliance in Sioux Falls Thursday for discussion, presentations and public commentary. KELOLAND News will have a camera there so viewers can watch the afternoon session live on our website.
