4 days ago
Karr, Smith evaluate task force's work thus far
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Senators Chris Karr and Jamie Smith of Sioux Falls are on opposite sides of the political isle in South Dakota's capital of Pierre, but with regard to Project Prison Reset's task force, they have similar evaluations.
'Being able to have the public input has been very important,' Smith, a Democrat, said Thursday. 'I think the first thing is transparency for all of us and being able to let the people know what's happening, let them voice their opinion and then make our decisions based upon the input that we've had from other people. I think that's gone really, really well.'
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'It's been a transparent process,' Karr, a Republican, said Thursday. 'It's been inclusive. We've had great testimony from inmates to the public from different contractors that have stepped forward to give us their professional opinion on construction. I think this is what should have taken place the first time.'
Project Prison Reset has just one more meeting before a special session of the state legislature learns about their recommendations for where and how big to build a new men's prison in South Dakota. Gov. Larry Rhoden launched the task force in the wake of the legislative failure to fund a new men's prison in Lincoln County between Harrisburg and Canton. Now, the task force has endorsed a plan for one or more locations at existing DOC facilities or in the Mitchell or Worthing areas. The cap for this plan is $600 million. But for Smith and Karr, it's not just about incarceration.
'What we don't want to do is cut corners, not include space that's needed for maybe programming, for education, for those technical trades,' Karr said.
'For educational opportunities, for treatment options, for mental health, all of those things have to be accounted for in the design that we do and what we build,' Smith said. 'Because ultimately, most of these people will get out of prison.'
Project Prison Reset's task force is set to meet for the final time on July 8, and a special session of the state legislature is planned for July 22 when lawmakers can learn about the group's recommendations.
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