Gov. Larry Rhoden marked the completion of South Dakota’s new Women’s Correctional Facility in Rapid City Friday, cutting a strand of razor wire in place of a traditional ribbon to signal the $87 million facility is ready for inmates.
The 102,750-square-foot facility on Rapid City’s north side includes three 96-bed housing units along with a separate 12-bed Mother Infant program building. Each housing unit includes dedicated space for group treatment and programming, and one features 96 drug treatment beds in a therapeutic community designed to target criminal thinking and substance use disorders through a highly structured treatment approach.
“Rehabilitation and recovery are essential in keeping our state strong, safe, and free,” Rhoden said. “This modern correctional facility has ample programming space and will play a vital role in lowering recidivism, creating stronger families, and protecting our communities.”
Secretary of Corrections Nick Lamb said 97% of female offenders enter prison with a substance use disorder assessment, making dedicated treatment space a central priority for the new facility. Rhoden noted that family connections and parenting skills are also key factors in rehabilitation, saying every person in the corrections system is a human being — a son or daughter, a mother or father — with the capacity to change.
The Department of Corrections has developed a partnership with Western Dakota Technical College on a one-semester Business Hospitality program to help participants build practical skills for workforce reentry, and is working with Sanford Health on a three-week Patient Care Technician program that could open doors to healthcare careers.
Eric Aldridge was hired as the facility’s first warden in March, coming to South Dakota after serving as warden of a medium-security women’s prison in Virginia. He said his goal is to create an environment where people learn, grow and heal.
The project was approved by state lawmakers in 2023. DOC plans to begin moving offenders from the Pierre Minimum Center and Women’s Prison in Pierre to the new facility in August once staff training is completed. The move will help alleviate overcrowding at the Pierre facility, which has operated beyond capacity for years.
By: DNU News wire