New Grant County Jail Starts Housing Prisoners Today

The new Grant County Jail opened in Milbank today, Thursday, August 20. The celebration included a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by members of the Milbank Area Chamber of Commerce (MACC). The community was also invited to a public open house to view the facility. Later this afternoon, Grant County Sheriff Jeremy Steffensen said, ”Prisoners are already being moved in.” 

The transfer of the first prisoners to the new jail marks the culmination of a two-year project to replace the former 53-year-old jail that many called crumbling, inefficient, and unsafe. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 22, 2025, and although inclement weather caused a few setbacks, the building was finished within the 16 months planned for its construction. 

The new jail sits directly behind the Grant County Courthouse at the northeast corner of the Courthouse Park on Detention Street in Milbank and across from the parking lot of the former detention center. The 10,000 square-foot facility that is predominantly finished in stainless steel and concrete includes the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, dispatch, jail, and other jail support services. Features include 20 jail-bed pods, day rooms, and several administrative offices and training areas. An interior recreation yard, kitchen, laundry, and a secure and controlled entrance for the transfer of inmates, also known as a sallyport, are some of the improvements incorporated into the facility.

The new jail also came in under budget. The final price tag of $6.8 million, which covered some last-minute necessities that had been overlooked, was slightly lower than the initial estimate of $7 million. It was also lower than the $7,357,789 bid approved by the Grant County Commissioners on February 25, 2025. 

Officials said the annual bond payment from the county is expected to be $470,000 and the estimated cost of transporting and housing inmates outside of Grant County was estimated to have risen to approximately $490,000 annually. Officials had used the statistics to illustrate the cost of renting or buying housing for prisoners was going to be the same, but no equity would be acquired by renting. Of the $6.8 million needed, $6 million was financed using 20-year general obligation bonds. The county also agreed to finance $600,000.

In comparison, a similar project  – the Clay County Law Enforcement Center and 54-bed jail constructed  and opened in Vermillion in October 2025 –  cost $43 million to build. Vermillion area voters passed a bond issue in 2022 to provide $42.8 million for the project. The Clay County facility includes their sheriff’s office, Vermillion Police Department, 911, and emergency management.

Grant County’s new jail, however, stands in stark contrast to the Grant County Detention Center it replaced. The explanation lies in a quick trip down memory lane. On March 23, 1973, the day the former Grant County Detention Center was dedicated, a loaf of bread could be purchased for 25 cents. The total cost to construct the detention center was just under $190,000, and it included the purchase of additional equipment and some operational costs. (For more details, see the original program for the jail dedication ceremony in 1973).

The technology in the new facility, of course, is light years ahead of what was available in 1973. However, another nod to modernity is less subtle.The new facility does not contain a single bar enclosing a cell. An inmate is locked in a pod with a thick, heavy, steel door with a surveillance window. The use of the doors is primarily to improve staff safety, prevent suicide attempts, control noise, and stop the transfer of contraband. 

Plans for the former jail have not been determined.