Prisons play a critical role in the criminal justice system by housing those who have been convicted of crimes and providing a means of punishment and rehabilitation.
South Dakota, located in the Midwestern region of the United States, is home to a number of correctional facilities that serve both state and federal inmates.
The state’s prison system has been subject to criticism in recent years due to issues such as overcrowding, high rates of recidivism, and concerns about the treatment of inmates.
This article will provide an overview of the prison system in South Dakota, including its history, current state, and efforts to address the challenges it faces.
State Prisons
| Prison Name | Location | Inmate Capacity | Security Levels | Gender | Operator/ Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota State Penitentiary | Sioux Falls | 1,359 | Maximum and Minimum | Male | South Dakota Department of Corrections |
| Mike Durfee State Prison | Springfield | 355 | Low Medium | Male | South Dakota Department of Corrections |
| Rapid City Minimum Center | Rapid City | 124 | Minimum | Male | South Dakota Department of Corrections |
| South Dakota Women’s Prison | Pierre | 640 | Maximum and Minimum | Female | South Dakota Department of Corrections |
| Yankton Minimum Center | Yankton | 287 | Minimum | Male | South Dakota Department of Corrections |
South Dakota State Penitentiary
The South Dakota State Penitentiary is a correctional facility located in northern Sioux Falls. Originally built in 1881 as a territorial prison, it became the South Dakota State Penitentiary when South Dakota was granted statehood in 1889.
The facility occupies approximately thirty acres and has undergone numerous structural changes over the years. The main facility contains three housing units, while the G. Norton Jameson Annex opened in February 1993 and contains three housing units within a secure perimeter.
Inmates at the Penitentiary are employed in institutional support and prison industries, including upholstery, printing, signs, decals, license plates, carpentry, book bindery, machine shop, Braille unit, garments, and data entry. In addition to work opportunities, inmates are offered literacy, Adult Basic Education, and GED classes.
Mike Durfee State Prison
Mike Durfee State Prison, located on the former campus of the University of South Dakota at Springfield, was established in 1984 by the Board of Charities and Corrections.
Initially, the prison housed both male and female inmates, but in 1997, the women were transferred to the South Dakota Women’s Prison within the Herm Solem Public Safety Center in Pierre.
In 1999, the prison was renamed in honor of Mike Durfee, Deputy Director of the South Dakota Department of Corrections. MDSP primarily houses Low Medium custody inmates and has a disciplinary segregation unit.
The prison offers a range of programs including literacy, adult basic education, GED classes, vocational education classes in welding, auto body, auto mechanics, and construction technology, and treatment programs for chemical dependents and sex offenders. The prison is also home to many inmate work programs.
Rapid City Minimum Center
The Rapid City Minimum Center is a minimum-security male facility located in South Dakota. The center is under the direction of the Mike Durfee State Prison and houses inmates who are either working on community service projects, on work release status or are parolees in the Community Transition Program.
Inmates who work on community service projects assist with firefighting and thinning timber in the Black Hills. Additionally, some inmates work for various businesses in the community.
The facility provides a structured environment for inmates to transition back into society and offers a range of educational and vocational programs to help inmates develop the skills necessary to secure employment after their release.
South Dakota Women’s Prison
The South Dakota Women’s Prison is a part of the Solem Public Safety Center, a facility that houses a prison, state corrections offices, and law enforcement agencies of the state, county, and city governments. Legislation was passed in 1995, authorizing the construction of the new women’s prison in Pierre.
The completed facility includes the new state Women’s Prison, the Central Office of the state Department of Corrections, the Pierre Police Department, the Hughes County Sheriff’s Office, a State Highway Patrol station, and the State Division of Criminal Investigation agents.
The Women’s Prison portion of the facility constitutes the majority of the 78,000-square-foot building. The South Dakota Women’s Prison opened and was dedicated on October 23, 1997.
The prison includes a nearby community work center that houses minimum-security inmates on work release and community service status, as well as parolees in the Community Transition Program.
The prison industries at the Women’s Prison include an embroidery shop and Badlands Quilting, a private-sector prison industry. Inmates can take classes for literacy, Adult Basic Education, and GED, and receive treatment for chemical dependency and sex offenses.
Yankton Minimum Center
The Yankton Minimum Center is a male minimum-security facility located in South Dakota. This facility is under the direction of the Mike Durfee State Prison and was opened in the early 1970s.
Initially, it was established to provide support services for the Human Services Center, but over the years, it has grown to become a working unit. Inmates are assigned to community service projects or work release status where they hold jobs in the community.
The center provides GED classes and elective classes for education, a wide range of recreational activities, and a variety of religious services. Additionally, the center has a treatment unit that offers drug and alcohol treatment classes, both long-term and relapse.
Sources:
https://doc.sd.gov/adult/facilities/sdsp/
https://doc.sd.gov/adult/facilities/mdsp/
https://doc.sd.gov/adult/facilities/rcmu/
https://doc.sd.gov/adult/facilities/wp/
https://doc.sd.gov/adult/facilities/ymu/