VIEWPOINT | SD Department of Corrections name change must be earned

Guest column by state Sen. Jamie Smith

This year, I asked the state Legislature, “What’s in a name?” My bill, Senate Bill 192, would have taken the first step to reform our state's corrections system by renaming the South Dakota Department of Corrections to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

This small change would have reflected our shared vision for the department’s future and set us on a path toward reform. As we debate the details of a once-in-a-century prison complex, now is the time to confront the many shortcomings of our deteriorating prison system.

VIEWPOINT | Rural South Dakotans deserve quality physicians