NOPE opposes more prison sites; task force reacts

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a day ago

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Neighbors Opposing Prison Expansion, or NOPE, opposed a site for a new men's prison in Lincoln County between Harrisburg and Canton, a site that's no longer under consideration. The group is now sharing support for construction at existing facilities.
'Right now we're just looking at taking away information from the discussions of the task force, the studies that have been conducted. And we're just really pushing for any current facilities to be looked at, to be remodeled, updated and made ready. So really, we're not in favor of them building or duplicating any services in Worthing,' said Maddie Voegeli, vice president of NOPE.
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She has similar concerns with Mitchell.
'It would just be too costly,' Voegeli said. 'And there are other ways that we can spend the $600 million that would be much better options for those incarcerated and their families.'
Existing DOC facilities as well as the Mitchell and Worthing area sites remain under consideration. Task force members Erin Healy and Greg Jamison are sharing how they feel about possible sites following their latest meeting last week.
'I would say there was more discussion surrounding Mitchell because a lot of Mitchell leadership was there,' Healy said. 'Less on Worthing. But Worthing, of course, is always going to be a point of interest because it is a strong site. It was the, I believe, the number three site location on our consultants' list.'
'The Worthing site probably has a better opportunity of success,' Jamison said. 'Mitchell's just too far away from Sioux Falls and all the employees who work here, who are then going to be required to kind of move there or commute, there is a problem.'
'I've always been hesitant to choose Mitchell,' Healy said. 'I believe that they might not have all of the workforce development necessary in order to host a penitentiary.'
The task force has already unanimously voiced support for replacing the state penitentiary. The state legislature will eventually hear about the group's recommendations, whichever direction they go.
'The state still has an obligation to create a prison system and manage it in the best interest of its people,' Jamison said.
Project Prison Reset's task force has endorsed a plan that includes fifteen to seventeen hundred beds with a maximum cost of 600 million dollars. Both Healy and Jamison, however, question if that price cap is realistic.
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