South Dakota opens new women’s prison in Rapid City

South Dakota has opened a new women’s correctional facility in Rapid City, creating a new state institution intended to consolidate women’s prison operations previously based in Pierre.

The facility is at 1020 N. Creek Drive, Rapid City, SD 57703. Gov. Larry Rhoden was scheduled to cut the ribbon there at 10 a.m. Mountain Time on July 10, 2026.

The opening changes the location of women’s correctional operations within the state system. Available reporting describes the Rapid City prison as part of a consolidation of operations that had been based in Pierre.

Capacity and programming are stated goals

The project is intended to expand treatment, programming and reentry capacity for women in state custody. Those functions are identified as planned purposes of the new facility, rather than as measured outcomes after opening.

The available source material does not provide a population count for the new prison or say how many women were expected to move from Pierre. It also does not establish whether all transfers had been completed by July 10.

That distinction is significant because the opening and the planned consolidation are documented, while the scope and timing of individual transfers are not. The packet likewise does not provide a total construction cost for the project.

New leadership at the Rapid City prison

Eric Aldridge was appointed as the Rapid City facility’s first warden in March 2026, according to secondary reporting included in the source packet. The packet does not provide further details about his responsibilities or the prison’s staffing level.

The governor’s office announced the ribbon-cutting on July 9, one day before the scheduled ceremony. Its advisory identified the facility as a new women’s prison and provided the Rapid City address and ceremony time.

The July 10 event was the next publicly identified step in the official announcement. No later state timetable for remaining consolidation work, inmate transfers or additional operational milestones is included in the available materials.

For Rapid City, the development places a state women’s correctional institution at a new local site. For people in women’s correctional custody, the stated goal is a facility with expanded treatment, programming and reentry capacity, though the available sources do not quantify that capacity or document results.