In early 2015, Pennington County submitted an application, along with 190 other applicants, to the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to be part of the Safety and Justice Challenge, a national initiative to reduce over-incarceration by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails.
In May 2015, Pennington County was one of 20 jurisdictions chosen as one of the inaugural members of the Challenge.
Between 2015 and 2017, Pennington County received two planning awards to identify ways to safely reduce the jail population.
In October 2017, Pennington County applied for and was awarded $1.75 million to implement bold strategies over the subsequent two years to achieve a safe reduction in the jail population over the subsequent two years.
In February 2020, Pennington County was awarded an additional $1.2 million to continue implementing strategies that allow for a reduced jail population.
The Safety and Justice Challenge is a five-year, $217 million investment to reduce over-incarceration by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails across the nation. The Challenge Network represents 51 cities and counties, across 32 states.
For more information about the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, visit: www.macfound.org
For more information about the MacArthur Safety and Justice Challenge, visit: www.safetyandjusticechallenge.org