PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden used his weekly legislative-session news conference on Wednesday to make a new argument in favor of proceeding with construction of a new men’s prison in Lincoln County.

Rhoden, a Republican, spoke favorably about legislation sponsored by a Democratic lawmaker that calls for the Department of Corrections to have a longer name. The Senate voted 35-0 last week to rename it the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

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The legislation’s prime sponsor is Democratic Sen. Jamie Smith, who was his party’s nominee for governor in the 2022 election. The Republican ticket of then-Gov. Kristi Noem and Rhoden, who was lieutenant governor, defeated Smith and his running mate nearly 2-to-1.

Rhoden on Thursday called a new prison “the most important thing” his administration can do for the safety of South Dakota.

“Legislators from both parties want to emphasize that the role of the DOC is to focus on rehabilitating people,” Rhoden told reporters as he read from a prepared statement. “If we want to rename DOC the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, then we need to back those words with actions. We need to put our money where our mouth is.”

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The proposed new prison would take male inmates from the old State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls.

Said Rhoden, “The unfortunate truth is rehabilitation is not possible in the current state penitentiary. The facility is gothic, it’s old and decrepit. It was never designed for classrooms or mental health or addiction counseling. It was built to incarcerate, not to rehabilitate. A new modern prison will change that.”

He continued, “We’ll be better able to take care of people and help them re-enter society successfully, and they will have the opportunity to achieve success for themselves, their families and their communities. This will make South Dakota communities safer. Successful rehabilitation will lead to less crime, less crime will lead to safer communities, and safer communities will lead to a stronger South Dakota.” 

The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Appropriations has scheduled a hearing for Thursday on the construction-authorization legislation, House Bill 1025. It needs a two-thirds majority in each chamber.

Rhoden said delaying the project for a summer study would cost South Dakota taxpayers an additional $40 million for inflation. That’s because the guaranteed maximum price of $825 million expires at the end of March.

“That doesn’t seem like a very fiscally conservative approach and I hope the project continues to move forward with favorable votes,” he said.