Governor commits funding to revive training program for inmates

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden is giving new life to a training program for inmates that was shelved recently.

“Being Open for Opportunity means investing in people and believing in second chances,” Rhoden said in a statement Monday, referencing a slogan he often uses to promote economic development.

The program will bring on-site instruction to the state penitentiary so inmates can earn a certificate to work on diesel heavy equipment.

Inmate training program shelved while prison construction talks continue

Last August, the Department of Corrections and Southeast Technical College got approval from the state Board of Technical Education to expand the college’s diesel program to the penitentiary.

Officials later decided to shelve the initiative due to a lack of funding and concerns over how it would fit into the still-developing plans for construction of a new men’s prison at an undetermined site. 

Rhoden announced Monday that he will provide $1.5 million for the training program from the Future Fund, a pot of economic development money under the exclusive control of the governor.

Corrections Secretary Kellie Wasko praised the program’s reinstatement.

“Education is one of the best ways to support rehabilitation and reduce recidivism,” Wasko said in a statement. “These programs give people purpose, build skills, and strengthen families and communities across South Dakota.”

The diesel training program will fill a void left by Metal Craft Industries, a privately operated prison shop that employed inmates at market wages. The company said it was pushed out of the prison system last year by administrators. Wasko has said the company left voluntarily to avoid adhering to newer, stricter security protocols. 

The Future Fund, which Rhoden is tapping to provide money for the training program, is supported by a surcharge on employer payroll taxes. State law says the fund is for “purposes related to research and economic development for the state.”

Some of former Gov. Kristi Noem’s uses of the fund were controversial. That included money to build a state-owned shooting range that the Legislature refused to fund, a workforce recruitment ad campaign starring Noem, a “Governor’s Cup” rodeo that included Noem carrying in the American flag on horseback, and a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore.