Rhoden administration standing firm in face of prison project peril

DOC: Legislative failure wouldn't alter approval path for Lincoln County correctional facility

South Dakota Department of Corrections Finance Officer Brittni Skipper, left, and Corrections Secretary Kellie Wasko testify before the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee on July 30. (Courtesy of SD.Net)

PIERRE — If the final piece of funding for a new men’s prison isn’t included in this year’s budget, don’t expect Gov. Larry Rhoden or the Department of Corrections to raise a white flag.

That’s what a DOC official told a panel of South Dakota lawmakers on Monday while speaking against a measure that would form a task force of legislators, public safety professionals, and prison industry experts to consider alternatives to an $825 million correctional facility underway in Lincoln County.

Mistaken vote latest setback for Lincoln County men's prison