Counterpoints. 1. Cheaper options are a myth? We are told that adding beds to current facilities would cost too much, as told by the construction manager that wants the build contract for the new prison. Another firm, Elevatus Architecture claimed doing smaller projects like building 300 bed units at Springfield would be cheaper. DOC keeps bringing up the 192 beds adding a second floor. That was one option. Another option was to utilize the space between the old building and the Jameson, DLR group suggested a 200 bed unit there for low level offenders. There was a suggestion to build a 400 bed intake unit on the 28 acres of bare ground north of the current pen. You decide.
2. Since the task force was established, DOC has been presenting to the group how great the current programming is, and how many counselors they have and they have a new program call SAFER, a reentry program they started over a year ago - all sounds great. but wait...Corrections officers and inmates say the current classrooms sit empty, in SF and Springfield. Some recently released inmates say they were never in a classroom for addiction or reentry. What happened to all the programming we were doing 4 years ago? 15 years ago?
3. They want to tie the rehabilitation task force to the prison vote and it would be for the programming at the new prison. Seems wrong. Let's say it passes, the prison is 4 years away, What about programming at the other DOC locations now? We have classrooms sitting empty, why are we doing virtually nothing now. I totally agree we need programing for addiction, mental health and reentry, plus industrial training. Why do we need a vote on the prison to start?
4. Showing God's love through action? Why have almost all religious visitations been restricted? They say it is for safety reasons. Corrections officers tell me it's not the building that is unsafe, it is policy changes that make it unsafe.
5. Today I heard they think the $30 million annual operating increase could be offset by the new rehabilitation programs by creating lower recidivism. May want to read that again. If we can reduce $30 million in expenses by lowering the prison population, how do we justify the 1500 new beds. Lets try the programs first. Keep in mind reducing population does not have a direct correlation to reduction in operations cost. You still need staff, heat, lights, maintenance, etc
There are always two sides to every debate. This isn't an argument, just another point of view.
Some things don't seem to add up. 1) Illegal to go over the cap? --- It seems that the mode recently has been for the state to commit and then come to the legislature and say they need to pony up the money. History has people nervous. 2) No cheaper options --- Why are we talking about maximum security beds? We only have around 200 maximum security prisoners and over 500 beds. We don't need any more maximum security beds. Low and moderate security beds are much cheaper to construct. We don't need to spend anywhere close to $650 million. 3) We need a building to focus on recidivism --- Why does Florida have more prisoners in old buildings than we have prisoners in our entire prison system and recidivism of 25%. There have been reports from insiders that available programming space is not being used now. Also, outside prison support groups have been restricted from working in the prison. Is the issue really the building or do we have a management problem? Once there is better management will many of these problems go away? 4) We need 1500 max security beds ?--- See 2 above. We already have over double the number of maximum security beds that we need. Once we address recidivism why would we need 1500 beds of any type?
I do not doubt for a minute the need for a new prison, and I do not know enough about the details of our need to express an opinion about what should be built. But I do know this: The US has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, and SD has one of the highest rates of incarceration in the US. So when legislators are finished arguing about the new prison project, they should turn to a more fundamental question and ask themselves why they keep insisting on locking up more and more people
Good writeup of what we're facing here. Those against building a new facility are ignorant of the condition of the current prison, our growing population, and the amount of violent crime committed in this state. Sounds like the state is addressing safety and rehabilitation. Something the current setup hasn't been able to accommodate.
According the DOC's stats as of February 2023 (little old), 49% (1,333 offenders) of male prisoners were non-violent offenders, 25% (716 offenders) for drugs. We need to punish people who break the law.
If someone makes the personal choice to do drugs, or sell drugs to other people making a personal choices, our taxes need to pay to make sure those people are held responsible for their personal choices. Its called personal responsibly! We cannot, as a society, let people make their own choices. We need the loving and heavy hand of government to guide us in our lives. We cannot be left to our own devices. We need to be guarded.
As much as we need government to watch over us, we must also remember that government is not here to help. Its not its role to help make society better, or less hard. We South Dakotans must relearn that life is fair, much like in board games we all start out at the same place, with the same resources. So its completely our fault if our lives are hard. We must be reeducated to learn that the government's (our tax dollar's) job is to punish us when we stray, that its not the government's (our tax dollar's) job to ensure hungry kids are fed, that small governments are good because businesses will always have our best interests at heart.
After all, we all know the only thing stopping each of us from being drug users is the prospect of prison! Right?
But for real, there are plenty of reasons we need a prison. People need to quit being NIMBYs or decide that those resources should be put into prevention. We can't have it both ways.
WOW, I had to read your letter four times, Bob, it's that astoundingly stupid. "We cannot, as a society, let people make their own choices"? You must be joking, either that, or you really, really hate America. I actually insist on making my own decisions, and accept the consequences of those decisions, and completely reject the very idea that the government controls me.
"We need a 'loving and heavy hand of government to guide us in our lives", and " Well, you can surrender your freedom to the government if you wish, as for me, NO THANKS!
"Life is fair"? You have got to be the most privileged person in the universe if you believe that, Bob. Not once did my parents ever tell me "life is fair", and if yours did, I feel truly sorry for you, and your silver spoon. A child born to white, wealthy parents is going to have a far, far better shot at succeeding in life than a child born to Native American parents who struggle to put food on the table and a roof over their heads, and if you can't see that you're a fool. Go out to Pine Ridge and look around, Bob, you think anybody there is going to end up wealthy, healthy, and happy? Contrast the Rez residents with Kristi Gnome's daughters- One gets extra special help from her mommy, the Governor, to obtain a real estate appraisers license, even though she failed the course work, and the woman in charge of that program gets fired, but we'll cal it a "resignation", wink wink, and the other gets a job as chief of staff to the Governor, fresh out of college, zero experience, for a hefty $100,000+ publicly funded salary (SWEEET), and you're trying to tell me that's fair? When was the last time YOU were tested for drugs?
"We need government to watch over us"? What color is the sky in your world, Bob? I don't want or need the government watching me, I want and need to watch what the government is doing so they DON'T trample my freedoms, but I guess you want to have Big Brother keeping pretty close tabs on you. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present our new candidate for Gestapo Chief!
"We must be re-educated". Good Lord, that's a line straight from Chairman Mao. You must really hate America, Bob, perhaps you should look into relocating to North Korea, or China, or Russia? Please, Bob, find and read a copy of The Constitution, use what few critical thinking skills you might have left and try really hard to understand that Freedom is a beautiful thing, much prized, extremely precious, often chaotic, and always at risk from autocratic government.
"Business wil always have our best interests at heart"? OMG, Bob, how can you NOT be aware that business will NEVER have your best interest at heart? Corporations exist for one purpose and one purpose only: to make money for the shareholders, legally or not. That's why Wells Fargo bank got fined millions for defrauding customers, Bob. Employers will always pay the lowest possible wage for the most possible work, it's how they make more money! God, how can you be so ignorant of basic economics!
We do need prisons, unfortunately, some people are not able to conform enough to be allowed in an open, FREE society, but this prison being proposed has so many questions surrounding it, and such a secretive, poorly planned process with next to zero public input it's very scary. It's OUR money these knot heads in Pierre are throwing around, not theirs, and they just don't get that, or even seem to care very much, they've already blown through twenty million, now we're supposed to trust them that they won't waste any more? Give me a break!
This letter promising to keep to the budget has about as much going for it as Mike Rounds' "handshake deal" with The First Felon to save PBS on the Rez. When I see something that we can take to court if it turns out they're lying is the day I'll believe it, and so should everybody else. My biggest concern is that this project is only going to make certain politicians very happy with all the "campaign contributions"-read "bribes and graft"- they can haul in.
Counterpoints. 1. Cheaper options are a myth? We are told that adding beds to current facilities would cost too much, as told by the construction manager that wants the build contract for the new prison. Another firm, Elevatus Architecture claimed doing smaller projects like building 300 bed units at Springfield would be cheaper. DOC keeps bringing up the 192 beds adding a second floor. That was one option. Another option was to utilize the space between the old building and the Jameson, DLR group suggested a 200 bed unit there for low level offenders. There was a suggestion to build a 400 bed intake unit on the 28 acres of bare ground north of the current pen. You decide.
2. Since the task force was established, DOC has been presenting to the group how great the current programming is, and how many counselors they have and they have a new program call SAFER, a reentry program they started over a year ago - all sounds great. but wait...Corrections officers and inmates say the current classrooms sit empty, in SF and Springfield. Some recently released inmates say they were never in a classroom for addiction or reentry. What happened to all the programming we were doing 4 years ago? 15 years ago?
3. They want to tie the rehabilitation task force to the prison vote and it would be for the programming at the new prison. Seems wrong. Let's say it passes, the prison is 4 years away, What about programming at the other DOC locations now? We have classrooms sitting empty, why are we doing virtually nothing now. I totally agree we need programing for addiction, mental health and reentry, plus industrial training. Why do we need a vote on the prison to start?
4. Showing God's love through action? Why have almost all religious visitations been restricted? They say it is for safety reasons. Corrections officers tell me it's not the building that is unsafe, it is policy changes that make it unsafe.
5. Today I heard they think the $30 million annual operating increase could be offset by the new rehabilitation programs by creating lower recidivism. May want to read that again. If we can reduce $30 million in expenses by lowering the prison population, how do we justify the 1500 new beds. Lets try the programs first. Keep in mind reducing population does not have a direct correlation to reduction in operations cost. You still need staff, heat, lights, maintenance, etc
There are always two sides to every debate. This isn't an argument, just another point of view.
Some things don't seem to add up. 1) Illegal to go over the cap? --- It seems that the mode recently has been for the state to commit and then come to the legislature and say they need to pony up the money. History has people nervous. 2) No cheaper options --- Why are we talking about maximum security beds? We only have around 200 maximum security prisoners and over 500 beds. We don't need any more maximum security beds. Low and moderate security beds are much cheaper to construct. We don't need to spend anywhere close to $650 million. 3) We need a building to focus on recidivism --- Why does Florida have more prisoners in old buildings than we have prisoners in our entire prison system and recidivism of 25%. There have been reports from insiders that available programming space is not being used now. Also, outside prison support groups have been restricted from working in the prison. Is the issue really the building or do we have a management problem? Once there is better management will many of these problems go away? 4) We need 1500 max security beds ?--- See 2 above. We already have over double the number of maximum security beds that we need. Once we address recidivism why would we need 1500 beds of any type?
I do not doubt for a minute the need for a new prison, and I do not know enough about the details of our need to express an opinion about what should be built. But I do know this: The US has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, and SD has one of the highest rates of incarceration in the US. So when legislators are finished arguing about the new prison project, they should turn to a more fundamental question and ask themselves why they keep insisting on locking up more and more people
Good writeup of what we're facing here. Those against building a new facility are ignorant of the condition of the current prison, our growing population, and the amount of violent crime committed in this state. Sounds like the state is addressing safety and rehabilitation. Something the current setup hasn't been able to accommodate.
According the DOC's stats as of February 2023 (little old), 49% (1,333 offenders) of male prisoners were non-violent offenders, 25% (716 offenders) for drugs. We need to punish people who break the law.
If someone makes the personal choice to do drugs, or sell drugs to other people making a personal choices, our taxes need to pay to make sure those people are held responsible for their personal choices. Its called personal responsibly! We cannot, as a society, let people make their own choices. We need the loving and heavy hand of government to guide us in our lives. We cannot be left to our own devices. We need to be guarded.
As much as we need government to watch over us, we must also remember that government is not here to help. Its not its role to help make society better, or less hard. We South Dakotans must relearn that life is fair, much like in board games we all start out at the same place, with the same resources. So its completely our fault if our lives are hard. We must be reeducated to learn that the government's (our tax dollar's) job is to punish us when we stray, that its not the government's (our tax dollar's) job to ensure hungry kids are fed, that small governments are good because businesses will always have our best interests at heart.
After all, we all know the only thing stopping each of us from being drug users is the prospect of prison! Right?
But for real, there are plenty of reasons we need a prison. People need to quit being NIMBYs or decide that those resources should be put into prevention. We can't have it both ways.
WOW, I had to read your letter four times, Bob, it's that astoundingly stupid. "We cannot, as a society, let people make their own choices"? You must be joking, either that, or you really, really hate America. I actually insist on making my own decisions, and accept the consequences of those decisions, and completely reject the very idea that the government controls me.
"We need a 'loving and heavy hand of government to guide us in our lives", and " Well, you can surrender your freedom to the government if you wish, as for me, NO THANKS!
"Life is fair"? You have got to be the most privileged person in the universe if you believe that, Bob. Not once did my parents ever tell me "life is fair", and if yours did, I feel truly sorry for you, and your silver spoon. A child born to white, wealthy parents is going to have a far, far better shot at succeeding in life than a child born to Native American parents who struggle to put food on the table and a roof over their heads, and if you can't see that you're a fool. Go out to Pine Ridge and look around, Bob, you think anybody there is going to end up wealthy, healthy, and happy? Contrast the Rez residents with Kristi Gnome's daughters- One gets extra special help from her mommy, the Governor, to obtain a real estate appraisers license, even though she failed the course work, and the woman in charge of that program gets fired, but we'll cal it a "resignation", wink wink, and the other gets a job as chief of staff to the Governor, fresh out of college, zero experience, for a hefty $100,000+ publicly funded salary (SWEEET), and you're trying to tell me that's fair? When was the last time YOU were tested for drugs?
"We need government to watch over us"? What color is the sky in your world, Bob? I don't want or need the government watching me, I want and need to watch what the government is doing so they DON'T trample my freedoms, but I guess you want to have Big Brother keeping pretty close tabs on you. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present our new candidate for Gestapo Chief!
"We must be re-educated". Good Lord, that's a line straight from Chairman Mao. You must really hate America, Bob, perhaps you should look into relocating to North Korea, or China, or Russia? Please, Bob, find and read a copy of The Constitution, use what few critical thinking skills you might have left and try really hard to understand that Freedom is a beautiful thing, much prized, extremely precious, often chaotic, and always at risk from autocratic government.
"Business wil always have our best interests at heart"? OMG, Bob, how can you NOT be aware that business will NEVER have your best interest at heart? Corporations exist for one purpose and one purpose only: to make money for the shareholders, legally or not. That's why Wells Fargo bank got fined millions for defrauding customers, Bob. Employers will always pay the lowest possible wage for the most possible work, it's how they make more money! God, how can you be so ignorant of basic economics!
We do need prisons, unfortunately, some people are not able to conform enough to be allowed in an open, FREE society, but this prison being proposed has so many questions surrounding it, and such a secretive, poorly planned process with next to zero public input it's very scary. It's OUR money these knot heads in Pierre are throwing around, not theirs, and they just don't get that, or even seem to care very much, they've already blown through twenty million, now we're supposed to trust them that they won't waste any more? Give me a break!
This letter promising to keep to the budget has about as much going for it as Mike Rounds' "handshake deal" with The First Felon to save PBS on the Rez. When I see something that we can take to court if it turns out they're lying is the day I'll believe it, and so should everybody else. My biggest concern is that this project is only going to make certain politicians very happy with all the "campaign contributions"-read "bribes and graft"- they can haul in.
Don’t feed the trolls, Dale.