Lincoln County prison project paused —for now; special session coming

Gov. Rhoden responds to mounting opposition to Department of Corrections' $825M prison plan

Flanked by Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen, Gov. Larry Rhoden announces his new plan for the state’s prison project moving forward. (Austin Goss/The Dakota Scout)

PIERRE — Lincoln County might not be the site of a new prison after all.

But that won’t be decided until this summer.

Gov. Larry Rhoden has signed an executive order to form a working group that will reassess the Department of Corrections’ (DOC) plan to construct a 1,500-bed correctional facility south of Harrisburg, while calling for a special legislative session in July to make a final decision.

“This working group is our ‘reset’ button. Everything that came before is in the rearview mirror. From now on, we’re looking forward,” Rhoden said during a morning press conference at the Capitol on Thursday.

The announcement acknowledges heavy opposition to the project among state lawmakers, and comes after legislators earlier this week rejected a spending bill that would have been the final piece of funding necessary to move forward with the proposed $825 million prison. And with a requirement that two-thirds of both the state House and Senate sign off on the allocation of those dollars, it became increasingly unlikely that the DOC and the governor’s office could earn approval for the project from this year’s state Legislature.

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