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Capacity woes at South Dakota women's prison taxing county jail
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Capacity woes at South Dakota women's prison taxing county jail

From the Aberdeen Insider

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Scott Waltman
Aug 15, 2023
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Capacity woes at South Dakota women's prison taxing county jail
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The Brown County jail currently runs at or above capacity, which has prompted discussions about the construction of a new jail. Aberdeen Insider photo by Elisa Sand Harris Machine
The Brown County Jail (Elisa Sands / Aberdeen Insider)

Overcrowding at the South Dakota Women’s Prison in Pierre is amplifying capacity strains at the Brown County Jail.

That’s according to Sheriff Dave Lunzman, who briefed Brown County commissioners Tuesday morning.

Lunzman said the number of women at the county jail has been unprecedented lately. It was 16 as of Tuesday morning and has been as high as 18, he said.

That means male offenders have to be shifted around to make sure there is enough room for women, Lunzman said.

He updated commissioners during the open forum portion of the meeting just so they were aware of the situation. Overcrowding is not a new concern, but it’s being amplified now that women sentenced to prison are having to be housed in Brown County, he said.

The problem should be temporary, Lunzman said. Brown County is now housing three women who need to go to prison, he said after the meeting. Two might be sent to Pierre yet this week, he said, though there could be more women sentenced this week, too.

NEWS: Counties with jail woes had a rough day at the South Dakota Capitol

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A guest post by
Scott Waltman
Scott Waltman is a veteran South Dakota journalist and the managing editor of The Aberdeen Insider.
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