House rejects renaming Department of Corrections to add 'Rehabilitation'

The South Dakota House on March 3 rejected Senate Bill 192, which would have renamed the Department of Corrections to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The clerk reported the final tally as 14 ayes, 55 nays, and 1 excused.

Representative Healy, sponsor of the bill, said the name change would reflect a shift in priorities toward rehabilitation and reentry programs. "A prison should not just be a place of confinement, but a place where people have the opportunity to turn their lives around," Healy said in floor remarks, and she said the change would direct future updates by the code commission without immediate costs for signage or uniform changes.

Opponents on the floor—including Representatives Reich, Poirier, Greenfield and Bathke—argued that a name change without concrete programmatic changes is symbolic and risks misrepresenting outcomes. Representative Reich referenced prior programmatic changes he led (renaming a boot camp to STAR Academy while implementing program changes) and said meaningful reform requires operational work, not just rebranding. Representative Poirier called the proposal "virtue signaling," and Representative Greenfield said "saying something doesn't make it so," expressing concern about public expectations if recidivism persists.

Representative Healy said she would serve on a task force and that the name change accompanied broader planning for a new penitentiary and rehabilitation efforts. However, the House voted the bill down on final reading.

Senate Bill 192 failed to receive a majority and is declared lost; it will not move forward from the House in its present form.