PIERRE, S.D.(KELO)- Former South Dakota House speaker Steve Haugaard is trying to get the legislature to hit the brakes on funding a new men’s penitentiary.
He has been persistent in his opposition to the new prison, saying it won’t address the real problem, which he says is a lack of effective rehabilitation programs.
Haugaard recently sent a video presentation to a legislative committee, urging them to forgo the prison project, and instead adopt prison programming that’s been successful in Texas and other states.
It boils down to a question of paying big money to house more inmates, or developing programs that help them turn their lives around.
That’s the opinion of former State House Speaker Steve Haugaard.
He says spending more than 825-million dollars for a new men’s penitentiary near Harrisburg leans toward a constantly growing prison population.
In a video he sent to legislators, Haugaard says effective corrections programming is the answer…not building a new prison.
Corrections Secretary Kelly Wasko says building the proposed new prison would provide the space needed to programming.
Governor Larry Rhoden says failure to build the facility isn’t an option.