What lawmakers hope to see prison task force accomplish
LENNOX, S.D. (KELO) — A task force will determine the next steps for the proposed men's prison. It consists of people on both sides of the debate who will work through the need, location and size of the building.
House Bill 1025 would have allocated funds to build a new men's prison in Lincoln County.
But, after the bill took a big hit last Friday, Governor Larry Rhoden announced Project Prison Reset.
Representatives Karla Lems and Richard Vasgaard each have ideas on what they'd like to see the task force accomplish.
Both represent parts of Lincoln, Turner and Union counties. They shared those thoughts, along with other legislative topics, at a public event in Lennox on Saturday morning.
'I think everybody's really concerned about the ongoing cost of running that 1,500 bed prison, in addition to all of our other incarceration spots that we have across the state,' Rep. Lems said.
Lems is one of eight House members on the task force. She's concerned about the ongoing cost that comes with operating a new prison rather than just its initial construction price.
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'For us to get to that, I think the next step is we're going to have to come together and make some changes,' Rep. Lems said.
Rep. Vasgaard said he'd like to see more public input through the process.
'We all kind of agree that we need to do something. We need to replace our old prison, and we are overcrowding our prison facilities, and we do need to do something,' Rep. Vasgaard said.
But coming to a consensus could be the challenge.
'A lot of issues are going to have to be answered,' Rep. Vasgaard said. 'Can they do that in the short amount of time by July? I don't know. It'll be interesting to see, but that's going to be up to them.'
The group's first meeting is scheduled for April 2nd. Governor Rhoden's executive order states the task force will meet no less than four times before July's special session.
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