South Dakota Governor Unveils Plan for $650M Men's Prison | Columbus Ohio Dump Trucks

A revised plan for a new, $650-million men’s prison in Sioux Falls, S.D., was unveiled Sept. 8 by Gov. Larry Rhoden (R) with joint venture team of JE Dunn and Henry Carlson named as contractor.

The new plan replaces a previous proposal put forward by former Gov. Kristi Noem that envisioned an $825-million facility to be built in rural Lincoln County. It was opposed by neighbors and rejected in February 2025 by state legislators who deemed it too expensive.

Rhoden convened a Project Prison Task Force that developed the new plan, and the state legislature is scheduled to vote on the proposal Sept. 23.

The new prison would be built on 176 acres on Benson Road in northwest Sioux Falls, and would have more than 1,000  cell beds, 300 dorm beds and four buildings, with a lifespan of 100 years. The primary material would be concrete.

In a letter to the state, Vance McMillan, senior vice president of the Justice Group at JE Dunn Construction and Henry “Chip” Carlson, owner of Henry Carlson Construction, wrote “we are confident that the proposed facility, located in Sioux Falls, can be constructed for the estimated value of $650 million.”  

The plan cuts costs by $175 million in part by making a 176,000-sq-ft adjustment in housing. Rather than seven smaller cell housing units, there are three larger ones, and one dorm-style unit. Dayroom space is reduced from 70 sq ft per inmate to 40. There is a 5,000-sq-ft reduction in intake space and a 5,000-sq-ft reduction in the central utility plan. Vocational space has been increased by 25,000 sq ft.  

“These changes result in a net reduction of 160,000 sq ft of space without cutting vital programming space necessary to reduce recidivism,” Rhoden said.

McMillan and Carlson said the new correctional facility would be designed by Arrington Watkins Architects in keeping with New Housing Concepts, which are geared toward creating environments that emphasize rehabilitation, dump trucks columbus oh community reintegration and human dignity.

“Specifically, we analyzed the New Housing Concepts provided by Arrington Watkins and have priced them accordingly. The New Housing unit concepts reflect reduced square footages while maintaining American Corrections Association (ACA) standards,” they wrote.

The plan must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the legislature.

“There are a few legislators that are bent on saying ‘No,’ but at the end of the day, I have enough faith in our legislators and the legislative process that we will be able to get this across the finish line,” Rhoden said.

The current South Dakota State Penitentiary was built in 1881 before South Dakota became a state in 1889.

Annemarie Mannion is editor of ENR Midwest, which covers 11 states. She joined ENR in 2022 and reports from Chicago.