RAPID CITY, S.D. – South Dakota’s new women’s prison in Rapid City is now housing inmates, marking a major step in the state’s effort to address overcrowding at older correctional facilities in Pierre.
State officials say 79 women were being housed at the new 288-bed facility at the end of September, the first month inmates began moving into the prison. The 87-million-dollar complex was built to relieve crowding at the existing women’s prison campus and includes housing units, chemical dependency treatment services, and a mother-baby program for qualifying inmates.
Despite the new facility opening, hundreds of women remain in Pierre, including some housed in a minimum-security unit that state officials have previously described as structurally deficient and unsuitable for long-term occupancy.
The Department of Corrections says inmate transfers to Rapid City will continue as operations expand. State leaders have also affirmed plans to eventually demolish the aging minimum-security unit in Pierre once it is no longer needed.
The transition comes as South Dakota’s overall prison population continues to grow, with state data showing inmate numbers have increased significantly over the past year.
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