SOUTH DAKOTA(HubCityRadio)- Reactions are coming in the passage of SB2 that passed Tuesday in the South Dakota Legislature.
Attorney General Marty Jackley:
“Congratulations to lawmakers who approved the building of a new prison Tuesday. This has never been about increasingincarceration. It is about keeping people safe, safeguarding the taxpayers’ money and providing inmates hope for the future with rehabilitation efforts and addiction treatment. It was an honor to be part of the prison task force that addressed this issue and to have testified before our Legislature. Thank you to legislators and Governor Rhoden for taking a step forward for South Dakota’s correctional future.”
Republican candidate for Governor Toby Doeden:
“Don’t let a career politician tell you they can’t do something because we don’t have the money. Today the vast majority of politicians in our state chose popularity in Pierre over the will of the people. Will they eventually pay the price? Only time will tell. This is a sad day for South Dakota. We need fresh leadership, and we need it right now. The fight continues. We ride at dawn.”
South Dakota Democratic Caucus:
“Today, the Joint Democratic Caucus voted yes to build a new state penitentiary. The truth is simple: the current facility is unsafe, outdated, and inhumane. It fails the staff who walk through its doors every day, and it fails the people living inside it.”
“How can we talk about rehabilitation when people do not even feel safe where they sleep? When there is no space for counseling, treatment, or job training, people spend their days idle, waiting out sentences instead of preparing for life after prison. Too often, they return to their communities with no new skills, no support, and no hope. That does not heal families or neighborhoods. It only ensures the same struggles come back again and again.”
“We supported building a new penitentiary because we believe people deserve better. Every person, no matter their mistakes, should be treated with dignity and given a chance to heal, grow, and change. People are more than the worst decision they ever made, and if we want safer communities, we have to give them the tools to succeed when they reenter society. Our caucus has long fought for criminal justice reform because we know rehabilitation and second chances are the path to stronger families and safer communities.”
“But a new building, on its own, will not solve these challenges. True public safety starts long before anyone enters the justice system. It starts in homes, classrooms, and neighborhoods. When families have food on the table, a roof over their heads and schools that open doors of opportunity, fewer people fall into crisis. When communities can access mental health care, substance use treatment, and affordable housing, fewer people end up behind bars. When those supports are missing, the cracks show up everywhere else: in prisons, in courtrooms, and in emergency rooms.”
“Locking people away is not a strategy for safety. Healing is. Prevention is. Education is. A stronger South Dakota means fewer victims, fewer people in crisis, and more neighbors able to live with dignity and purpose. That is why the Joint Democratic Caucus secured commitments, in collaboration with Governor Rhoden, to pursue a rehabilitation task force and work in good faith to invest in rehabilitation, support for parolees, and resources meant to keep South Dakotans from going to prison in the first place.”
“South Dakotans deserve a justice system that heals, not one that harms. We deserve communities where people are set up for success, not failure. We deserve a future where redemption is possible, where second chances are real, and where safety comes from hope, not just from punishment. That is the path forward, and it is the future we will keep fighting to build.”
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