Task force report: South Dakota should build prison on DOC's preferred site or Huron

Consultant ranks proposals as part of Project Prison Reset

The Project Prison Reset Task Force holds discussions at a recent meeting. Photo: The Dakota Scout

Aberdeen and northwest Sioux Falls should not be future prison sites, while the most suitable locations for the South Dakota Department of Corrections to build are in Lincoln County and Huron.

That’s according to a consultant aiding the Project Prison Reset Task Force, which has finalized an analysis of 12 potential locations under consideration by the 22-member panel of state leaders set to meet this week in Pierre.

“Based on our site analysis and choosing-by-advantages method of ranking potential sites, the top-ranked site for development is the existing Lincoln County SDDOC site,” reads a report by Arrington Watkins Architects (AW) and CGL that notes that Huron, Mitchell, Worthing and two sites in Sioux Falls could also be viable site candidates as the DOC and Gov. Larry Rhoden’s office look to replace the state’s aging penitentiary that’s been in operation in north-central Sioux Falls for 144 years.

South Dakota's prison pricetag could be more than $2B, task force learns