Governor Larry Rhoden told lawmakers Tuesday that replacing the 144-year-old state penitentiary is South Dakota’s largest public safety investment, thanking task force members for reaching unanimous agreement but omitting House Speaker Jon Hansen from his list.
Rhoden opened the special session in Pierre with a joint address to the House and Senate. He said the existing penitentiary in Sioux Falls is outdated and unsafe, and that nearly all offenders will eventually return to society. He argued that long-term investments in rehabilitation, vocational training, and mental health services are necessary to reduce recidivism.
“Unless an offender is serving a life sentence, he will be back in a South Dakota community,” Rhoden said. “If the primary goal of government is to keep people safe, we can and we must do better.”
The governor said a summer task force reached consensus on three questions: whether a new prison is needed, how large it should be, and where to build it. The panel recommended a 1,500-bed men’s prison in northeast Sioux Falls, designed to last 100 years and triple the space for programming and vocational training.
“This will be the single largest public safety investment in the history of South Dakota,” Rhoden said. “And that task force reached agreement on how to move forward.”
Rhoden thanked Lieutenant Governor Tony Venhuizen, several senators, and seven House members who served on the panel. He did not name Hansen, who was included in the governor’s prepared remarks but not his delivered speech. Hansen said Monday he opposes the plan because the new prison would be required to provide transgender inmate health care. State officials say they await federal court rulings before setting policy on that issue.
Rhoden also credited Attorney General Marty Jackley, local law enforcement leaders, and behavioral health experts for contributing expertise. He praised former Governor Kristi Noem for setting aside money in advance so the state could build without raising taxes or borrowing.
Contractors, Rhoden said, agreed to cap the project at $650 million, assuming additional risk to protect taxpayers.
As of mid-morning, the Senate-House Select Joint Committee was considering the prison bill. It requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers to pass.
