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South Dakota taxpayers lost $21 million after the state abandoned plans for a men's prison in Lincoln County.

The state had already spent or obligated over $50 million on the Lincoln County project before lawmakers rejected it.

Some of the initial spending, including design work, is being repurposed for the new Sioux Falls location.

South Dakota taxpayers lost $21 million when their leaders abandoned plans for a men’s prison in southern Lincoln County.

Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden’s office released the figure to lawmakers on Wednesday and to the public on Thursday. It came as part of what he described as a funding plan for a prison in Sioux Falls, the merits of which will be debated during a special session of the Legislature on Tuesday in Pierre.

Lawmakers in

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