House rejects 'feel-good' attempt to rename Department of Corrections

Sen. Jamie Smith's measure would have rebranded DOC to 'Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation'

PIERRE — The name of the state’s correctional facilities is here to stay.

The South Dakota House of Representatives soundly rejected Democratic Senator Jamie Smith’s Senate Bill 192 to rename the Department of Corrections the “Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.”

Born out of a bipartisan push to reform how the state dishes out criminal sentences, the legislation slid through the legislative process with ease. The Senate passed the bill unanimously last month, a rare sign of strength for legislation coming out of the Capitol’s Democratic caucus.

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