PIERRE, S.D. - On May 15, 2025, the Project Prison Reset task force shared the completed consultant report by Arrington Watkins. You can find the consultant report here.

“This new third-party report confirms what our task force concluded: that the state penitentiary in Sioux Falls has reached the end of its useful life,” said Lt. Governor Tony Venhuizen, who chairs the task force. “The report also found that our system is overcrowded and requires a new facility and, absent changes in law, we can expect this problem to get even worse over time.”

Arrington Watkins’ report specifically analyzed the state of our current system, including the South Dakota State Penitentiary, the Jameson Prison Annex, and the Sioux Falls Minimum Center. The consultant will evaluate potential sites for a new prison in the second phase.

The task force was announced by Governor Larry Rhoden in February. You can find information about past Project Prison Reset meetings here.