South Dakota Prison Under Construction

RAPID CITY, S.D. — Construction is under way on South Dakota’s newest prison in Rapid City after years of planning and a lawsuit that ended up before the state Supreme Court.

The new $5.6 million facility will serve minimum-security inmates and be eight times larger than the existing 5,000-square-foot minimum-security prison in Rapid City. The new prison will also have a remodeled office and larger warehouse space.

New parole offices should open in February, with the prison itself completed by late 2011. The larger prison will allow inmates from Black Hills, S.D. to serve time closer to home.