Fountain Correctional Center for Women

County: Edgecombe

Inmate capacity: 583

Inmate gender: Female

Custody level: Minimum

Staff size: 199

Occupancy: 1976

Administrator: Lynn Sanders

Fountain Correctional Center for Women

Mailing Address:
Box 1435
Rocky Mount NC 27802

Street Address:
300 Fountain School Rd
Rocky Mount NC 27804

Phone: 252-442-9712
Fax: 252-442-1413

Facility #3020
Courier # 07-61-11

Fountain Correctional Center for Women, in Rocky Mount, is a minimum security prison for women.

In 1923, the General Assembly established the Eastern Carolina Training School for Boys, which opened in 1926 to house white males, 21 or younger. In 1969, legislators named the school after Richard T. Fountain, chairman of the first Board of Trustees of Fountain School. In 1976, the state made the 25-acre training school site a minimum security prison for male youth, 14 to 18 years old. The Fountain Youth Center became the Fountain Correctional Center for Women in 1984.

The prison's campus is a mixture of old and new buildings. The 1950's Training School-era buildings house the prison's administrative offices, processing center, dining hall and clothes house. As part of the $55 million prison construction program authorized in 1989, legislators provided for renovation of the old Clark building into a 50-bed dormitory and a misdemeanant diagnostic processing center. Another 100-bed dormitory was added as part of the $87.5 million prison construction program authorized in 1993.

Building on former Fountain Boys School campus

The prison's oldest buildings, constructed in 1928 and 1929, are of brick construction, wood frames, wood floors and interior wood stairwells. According to present building codes, these buildings cannot be used for sleeping quarters. In 1976, the Department of Insurance condemned the first of these structures. Since then, all of the vacant buildings that sit outside the prison's security fence have been condemned.

The prison serves as the point of entry into the prison system for women sentenced as misdemeanants. Upon arrival, inmates undergo a series of diagnostic evaluations that will determine future prison assignments. These new inmates stay in the Clark dormitory separate from the general population inmates in dormitories on the other side of the prison campus. The prison also has seven cells for placing inmates in administrative or disciplinary segregation.

Inmates work in a number of jobs. Fountain was the first female prison to establish community work squads, where a correctional officer supervises a squad of inmates in short term, manual labor work for local governments. Fountain has three community work squads. Other inmates work under contract for local government agencies or may be assigned to maintenance or kitchen duties. Inmates nearing the end of their imprisonment may participate in work release, leaving the prison for the part of the day to work for a business in the community.

Edgecombe Community College works with the prison to provide vocational classes for nursing assistants, office technicians and job readiness. Classes for adult education and preparation for the GED tests are available.

When Fountain contracted with the Mary Frances Center in Tarboro, it became one of the first prisons in the state to enter into a contract with a private facility for substance abuse treatment. Fountain now serves as a back up unit to the Mary Frances Center. Inmates who don't qualify for substance abuse treatment at Mary Frances may take part in DART, Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous or chemical dependency classes.

Visitation:

Visitation Day: Saturday

Times: A through K 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
L through Z 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

--Special visits are held Monday through Friday between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. We require a 24 hour notice and the visit must be approved by the Assistant Superintendent for Custody & Operations (252) 442-9712 ext 104. In addition, the visitor must be on the inmate's approved application list.

Visitors are encouraged not to arrive at the unit prior to 30 minutes of the designated visitation time. Visitation does not require an advance appointment (The first three approved visitors on site will be allowed to visit during the designated visitation period.)

DIRECTIONS: Take U.S. 64 east to Rocky Mount and then take U.S. 301 north for about five miles. A highway sign on the right will direct you to the unit.