Republican Sen. Helene Duhamel, who works for the Pennington County sheriff’s office, said incarceration costs can bankrupt a county. “No one wants a mortgage on a jail.”Staci Ackerman, executive director for the South Dakota Sheriff’s Association, said there are 23 jails among the 66 counties. The concept is based on the regional rail authorities used in South Dakota. House Democrat leader Oren Lesmeister agreed, saying Corson County deputies sometimes run 24 hours straight on duty. Republican Rep. Becky Drury said she heard counties “pleading” for abilities to build new jails the past two years while she was on the House tax panel.

Source: Washington Post February 28, 2023 02:45 UTC