State and local leaders celebrate groundbreaking for new men’s penitentiary

On the east side of Sioux Falls, tucked away near East Benson Road, a new state penitentiary is being built to replace the 140-year-old prison that currently stands. The prison will not only be modern in its infrastructure, but in its purpose too.

For the last few months, crews have been carving out the grounds on the site Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken called “decades overdue,” but hindsight is 20/20; state and city leaders are glad the project has made it this far.

The new prison will hold 1,500 beds and is designed to feature several spaces dedicated to prison reform.

“We have to do better, and we have to get better at rehabilitating our offenders, and this facility will help us with that. Instead of locking them up and forgetting about them, these people, over 90% of them, are going to come back to our communities, because it’s much needed,” Department of Corrections Secretary Nick Lamb said. View the story on DakotaNewsNow.