Lincoln County eyed for South Dakota's new men's prison

South Dakota already owns 320 acres between Harrisburg and Canton that meet DOC requirements

Photo by Larry Farr on Unsplash

Two plots of state-owned land located south of Harrisburg in Lincoln County are under final consideration to be the location of a future men’s prison.

That’s according to documents obtained by The Dakota Scout, which show the state is in the final stages of evaluating 320 acres as the future site of the prison, which will help alleviate capacity concerns and eventually eliminate the pressure on the current prison near downtown Sioux Falls.

Proponents of a new prison say that the existing one, which was built prior to South Dakota becoming a state, does not meet industry standards for modern prisons, resulting in the state spending more on supervision at a time when staffing the prison has been a challenge.

NEWS: Judge rules against Avera Health doctor in discrimination lawsuit