New Hanover Correctional Center

County: New Hanover

Inmate capacity: 402

Inmate gender: Male

Custody level: Minimum

Staff size: 112

Occupancy: 1915

Administrator: Susan R. White

New Hanover Correctional Center

Mailing Address:
Box 240
Wilmington NC 28402

Street Address:
330 Division Drive
Wilmington NC 28402

Phone: 910-251-2666
Fax: 910-251-2670

Facility #4170
Courier # 04-11-04

NC State Seal

North Carolina’s first permanent county prison was constructed in 1915 in New Hanover County. A two-story concrete building was erected in 1915 to house 200 county prisoners. Equipped with electricity, modern plumbing and central heating, the facility was thought to have begun a new age in prison construction and design. Inmates slept on cots in tow large rooms, one for each race, separated by a guard room.

The prison was remodeled in 1928 and expanded to house 250 inmates.

New Hanover was one of 51 county prisons for which the state assumed responsibility with the passage of the Conner bill in 1931. It was one of 61 field unit prisons renovated or built during the late 1930s to house inmates who worked building roads.

Two modular dormitories added in 1978 have since been closed. In the 1987 Emergency Prison Facilities Development program, lawmakers provided for a 50 bed dormitory for New Hanover. Another 250 beds were included in the $55 million prison construction program authorized in 1989. Inmates moved into the first 50 bed dorm in 1988 and the other dorms in 1992.

Prison engineers supervised inmates in remodeling the prison’s original building to provide classrooms and office space which was opened by the fall of l994. An 18 bed dormitory at the prison provides administrative and disciplinary segregation space for minimum custody inmates needing to be segregated.

New Hanover currently serves as a minimum security prison for adult males. The prison houses approximately 402 inmates.

Inmates may be assigned to a variety of jobs. Correction Enterprises employees supervise 78 inmates who work in the New Hanover Memorial Hospital laundry. Other inmates work on Department of Transportation road crews. Inmates may also be assigned to housekeeping, kitchen duties, maintenance and labor contracts.

Over 50 inmates participate in work release, leaving the prison for part of the day to work for a business in the community.

The prison has five community work crews and two litter crews which do all kinds of work in a four county area. There are also five Department of Transportation road crews which work in 3 counties.

Cape Fear Community College works with the prison to provide adult education classes and help inmates prepare for the GED tests. There is also course work in Industrial Electricity and Horticulture.

Visitation: Regular population inmates visit Saturday of each month. The population is divided in half by alphabet and half visits on Saturday 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. and the other half will visit from 2 - 4 p.m. for a maximum of two hours. The maximum number of visitors per visit is three (3) (including adults and children). The morning and afternoon visitation session will rotate each month. Inmates assigned to the segregation unit visit by appointment, Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., approved by the superintendent or designee. Visitors requesting a visit with a segregated offender must contact (910) 251-2666, Ext. 251.

DIRECTIONS: Travel Interstate 40 East to Wilmington. Take Exit 414 (Castle Hayne, Airport, Battleship exit). Approach stop sign at bottom of exit ramp and turn left. Proceed to stop light in Castle Hayne and turn left onto US117/133. After passing a Hardee’s and a fire department the road will fork, remain to the right on Hwy.133. Proceed approximately 6.5 miles and turn left on 23rd Street. Cross over railroad tracks, turn right onto Division Drive. New Hanover Correctional is located on the left.