South Dakota braces for $2 billion prison expansion amid rising inmate numbers

South Dakota may spend up to $2 billion on prison construction over the next decade due to a rising inmate population, according to reporting by the Associated Press. The demand for more space is partly due to a 2023 law requiring violent offenders to serve full sentences before parole, contributing to a projected 34% increase in inmates.

State lawmakers have set aside $600 million to replace the aging South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls. The expansion is among the most expensive taxpayer-funded projects in the state’s history. Despite national declines in crime, officials have not proposed criminal justice reforms. Native Americans, who represent 10% of the state’s population, make up 35% of incarcerated individuals, according to Prison Policy Initiative.

“We might be good for a few years ... but in a couple years it’ll be full again,” Sioux Falls attorney Ryan Kolbeck was quoted as saying.