In the wake of recent legislative changes imposing harsher sentences, South Dakota is confronting the financial reality of accommodating a growing prison population, with projections suggesting costs could soar as high as $2 billion for new prison facilities over the next decade. Despite being one of the least populous states in the nation, the anticipated 34% increase in inmate numbers necessitates significant infrastructure investment. Consultants highlight the imperative need due to these stringent laws, even as overall national crime rates trend downward.
“This is a particularly unusual time to be allocating $2 billion towards prisons,” remarked a senior campaign strategist with The Sentencing Project, noting that crime levels have declined notably in recent years across the country.
While some states steered by Democratic leadership are reevaluating their approaches to incarceration and even closing penitentiaries, South Dakota, governed predominantly by Republican lawmakers, remains committed to a stringent crime-fighting approach. Consequently, inmate numbers rise, demanding more prison space.
In a bid to remedy overcrowding and modernize facilities, South Dakota has earmarked $600 million for the replacement of the aging 144-year-old penitentiary in Sioux Falls, setting it as among the most significant taxpayer-funded projects in state history. However, experts suggest this is only the beginning. Phoenix-based consultancy Arrington Watkins Architects predicts the state will require approximately 3,300 additional beds, pushing total costs to the $2 billion mark.
The challenges surrounding prison capacity were first recognized four years ago amid a bounty of COVID-19 relief funds. Yet, indecision over the location and scale of an updated facility stalled progress. A designated task force, under the guidance of Republican Governor Larry Rhoden, is slated to present a solid plan come July. While there is extensive debate about the financial implications, there is little headway in altering the current laws funneling people into these facilities.
“Our primary focus must remain on our defined mission,” declared Lieutenant Governor Tony Venhuizen, helming the task force. Although suggestions surface for broader reforms across the criminal justice system, current efforts pertain specifically to addressing the physical expansion of facilities.
In comparison with its Midwestern neighbors, South Dakota’s incarceration rate stands out with 370 inmates per 100,000 residents—significantly higher than neighboring rates, which fall below 250 per 100,000. Critical analysis attributes nearly half of future population growth within the prisons to a recent 2023 statute mandating violent offenders serve full-term sentences sans early parole.
Evidently, a significant portion of those paroled eventually reenter the system, often not for new offenses but for technical violations, such as failing a drug test—these returnees accounted for almost 50% of prison admissions last year. Legal experts, including notable Sioux Falls attorney Ryan Kolbeck, underscore the inefficiency of current rehabilitative services available to inmates, especially those grappling with substance dependency.
Adding complexity is the stark disparity in incarceration rates among Native Americans who, despite comprising a mere 10% of the state’s population, account for 35% of those incarcerated—a statistic spotlighted by the non-profit Prison Policy Initiative.
Despite long-standing acknowledgments of overcrowding problems within the legislative capital of Pierre, there remains staunch opposition to easing the rigid laws underpinning these issues. It required persistent efforts over six years to downgrade the severity of ingesting controlled substances from felony to misdemeanor for first-time offenses—a change that merely aligns South Dakota with existing national standards.
Former penitentiary warden Darin Young argues for a dual focus: upgrading physical infrastructures alongside a proposed investment of $300 million earmarked for addiction treatment and mental health services, addressing root causes of imprisonment. “Addressing why people end up in prison is crucial. Without tackling these issues, population pressures won’t abate,” cautions Young.
Criminal justice authorities agree that absent policy evolution, new prison facilities will soon reach capacity: “We might ease pressure for a short term, but as policies stand, it’s inevitable we’ll be facing the same issues again shortly,” forecasted Kolbeck.