Relocation of Inmates to New Rapid City Women's Prison Proceeds Slowly, Old Unit Remains in Use
The relocation of inmates to South Dakota's recently opened women's prison in Rapid City is progressing slowly, with 79 women housed there by the end of September, its first month of operation. This new $87 million facility, designed with 288 beds, was constructed to alleviate overcrowding at the older women's prison campus in Pierre. Despite the new facility, 466 women remain in secure facilities in Pierre, including 64 at the Hughes County Jail and 208 in a minimum-security unit that state engineers have deemed unfit for human habitation due to structural deficiencies. Department of Corrections spokesperson Michael Winder stated that the population in Rapid City will grow as operations ramp up, and the minimum-security unit in Pierre is intended for demolition once it is no longer needed, though a timeline is not yet set.
