More women in S.D. prisons

By Joe Kafka, Associated Press Writer | Thursday, August 14, 2003

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PIERRE — More females than expected have been put into the state women's prison in recent months, an interim legislative committee studying the prison system was told Wednesday at the Capitol.

Officials are trying to find ways of reducing the rapid growth in inmate numbers, and the increase in women prisoners may be the perfect chance to try some new things, Tim Reisch, state corrections secretary, said.

He said there are no plans to enlarge the women's prison, which is designed to house 148 inmates but had 182 inmates shortly after opening in 1997. Some two-bed cells were later converted to three beds, and a 96-bed trusty unit was built at the prison in 1999.

Because about 40 percent of female inmates are classified as minimum-security prisoners, options other than the prison setting are being explored for the expanding population, Reisch said.

"It doesn't make sense to make anymore hard cells for the women inmates. We've got enough," he said. "This really offers an opportunity to do something different. It's a perfect opportunity to try community corrections with this group because they are such a low risk."

Laurie Feiler, deputy corrections secretary, said female prisoners may be placed in work-release programs in some county jails and at such places as Community Alternatives of the Black Hills in Rapid City and Glory House in Sioux Falls.

About 10 women are sent to the state prison system each month, but that number has been 20-25 in the last few months, she said. The current population of female prisoners is about 300, Feiler said.