After new prison vote, Corrections leader says penitentiary should ‘never have another inmate in it’

South Dakota Department of Corrections Secretary Kellie Wasko speaks to reporters on July 9, 2025. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

SIOUX FALLS — South Dakota Department of Corrections Secretary Kellie Wasko said Wednesday she’s buoyed by a vote from the state’s prison task force endorsing a $650 million, 1,500-bed men’s prison in Sioux Falls.

Whatever happens with a new prison, she said, the 144-year-old penitentiary it’s meant to replace should “never have another inmate in it.”…

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