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Cost, dilemmas of South Dakota's potential prison sites examined; $600M target in doubt

Cost, dilemmas of South Dakota's potential prison sites examined; $600M target in doubt

Project Prison Reset Task Force weighs $264M price swing in construction options

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Jonathan Ellis
Jul 03, 2025
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The Dakota Scout
The Dakota Scout
Cost, dilemmas of South Dakota's potential prison sites examined; $600M target in doubt
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Sen. Chris Karr voices his support for replacing the state penitentiary in Sioux Falls while Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead and Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen look on. (Joe Sneve / The Dakota Scout)

The state would spend as much as $887 million on new men’s prison facilities — or as little as $622.8 million — depending on where and what gets built.

That’s according to a state engineer and consultant report evaluating more than a dozen potential sites for a new men’s prison — a study that found a swing in pricing of more than a quarter-billion dollars. Most of the proposals call for building multiple facilities at different locations in the state, including a 27-acre site near the existing South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls known as North Farm, and another site in Sioux Falls near Interstate 229 and Rice Street identified as the Sweetman site. Other sites include Worthing, Mitchell, and Springfield at the Mike Durfee State Prison.

Vice President JD Vance to celebrate Independence Day with South Dakota trip

Vice President JD Vance to celebrate Independence Day with South Dakota trip

Joe Sneve
·
Jul 3
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