It is named for Mike Durfee who was a standout athlete and teacher at the school.
It opened under the name of Springfield State Prison in 1984 with women from the prison at Yankton, South Dakota. It became coed in 1985 with males being admitted.[2]
It became all male in 1997 when the women were transferred to Herm Solem Public Safety Center in Pierre, South Dakota. In 1999 it was named for Mike Durfee who had been with the school and was Deputy Director of the South Dakota Department of Corrections.[3]
