Western Youth Institution

County: Burke

Inmate capacity: 785

Inmate gender: Male

Custody level: Close/Minimum/Medium

Staff size: 392

Occupancy: 1972

Administrator: Barbara Belas

Western Youth Institution

Mailing Address:
5155 Western Ave
Morganton NC 28655

Street Address:
5155 Western Ave
Morganton NC 28655

Phone: 828-438-6037
Fax: 828-438-6076

Facility #3905
Courier # 15-02-06

Western Youth Institution

Western Youth Institution's unique architecture has led prison officials to call it the “highrise". Built in 1972, Western is a narrow building that rises 16 stories from a 90 acre tract of land in the rolling hills of Burke County.

In July 1992, the nearby minimum custody Burke Youth Center closed and the inmates were transferred to Western. The General Assembly provided 4 dormitories for Western as part of the 75 million dollar prison construction program authorized in 1990.

Western is a multi-custody prison, which houses close, medium, and minimum custody inmates. The facility functions as the diagnostic, reception, and housing facility for male youth ages 13-22. Inmates are housed in 460 cells on floors 5 through 14 with an additional 33 cells on the 16th floor used for segregation. The 15th floor is comprised of a ten bed infirmary, dental, and mental health treatment offices. The lower 4 floors are designated for administration, education, programs, kitchen, recreation, and inmate canteens. There are 4 dormitories located on the prison compound designated as a minimum custody unit. The standard operating capacity of Western Youth Institution is 652.

Western houses the youngest inmates in the State prison system and serves as the point of entry for all male felons ages 13 through 18 and misdemeanants ages 19 to 22. Upon arrival, inmates undergo a series of diagnostic evaluations that will determine work, education, and housing assignments.

Education plays an important role at Western. The prison system's largest school offers the GED program to inmates with the help of Western Piedmont Community College. The college also provides vocational classes. Due to the age of the prison's inmates, the education program provides an Exceptional Students program for youth with special educational needs.

Everyday 50 Western inmates receive on-the-job training in construction and forestry as part of the B.R.I.D.G.E. program, operated by the Division of Prisons and the Division of Forest Resources of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Inmates at Western are also assigned to work as maintenance, janitorial, or kitchen help.
Inmates may participate in the Drug Alcohol Recovery Treatment (DART) program. DART provides intensive inpatient treatment in a fast moving, 28 day treatment cycle with lectures, films, educational and therapy groups, as well as individual counseling. Inmates work with professional staff and peer counselors. DART relies heavily on the principles of Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous with group meetings available in the evenings.

Visitation: Visitation for inmates housed in Regular Population is permitted Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (2 hours) and 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (2 hours) for a total of four (4) visiting periods per week. A total of three (3) approved visitors will be permitted to visit an inmate at a designated day and visiting period each weekend. Inmates are assigned to visiting period groups by the first letter of their last name. The four (4) visiting period group assignments are A through G, E through L, M through R, and S through Z. Some visiting periods may be more advantageous than others for visitors. In order to permit all visitors an equal opportunity to visit, each visiting period group assignment will be rescheduled on a monthly basis. The visiting schedule is shown below.

	January		February		March		April
	May		June		July		August
	September		October		November		December
	Saturday	Sunday	Saturday	Sunday	Saturday	Sunday	Saturday	Sunday
9:00am - 11:00am	A - D	M - R	M - R	A - D	E - L	S - Z	S - Z	E - L
1:30pm - 3:30pm	E - L	S - Z	S - Z	E - L	A - D	M - R	M - R	A - D
When a Saturday visiting period should occur on the last day of the month and the Sunday visiting period is on the first day of the next month, both periods will be as scheduled for the next month. *Example:* Saturday, July 31, 2004 is the last day of the month. Sunday, August 1, 2004 is the first day of the month, both visiting periods will occur as scheduled for August. No visiting privileges will be permitted on State recognized holidays.

Visitation for inmates housed in Administrative Segregation, Disciplinary Segregation (unless visiting privileges are suspended), Protective Control, Safekeepers, and validated Security Threat Group members will visit under the following procedures:

Visitation for inmates housed in High Security Control, Maximum Control, and Intensive Control will visit under the following procedures:

Visits may be authorized by the Chaplain for Clergy, Monday through Friday. Professional visits (Attorney or Law Enforcement) are considered special visits and may be authorized by the Officer-in-Charge. Unusual circumstances and/or requests may be referred to the Administrator I or Assistant Superintendents. The visiting location for these visits will be determined by the approving authority. Western Youth Institution phone number is (828)-438-6037. All requests for visiting information should be directed to the Officer-in-Charge. Please refer to www.doc.state.nc.us/DOP/visitation/index.htm for the Department of Correction visitation policy.

DIRECTIONS: From I-40 take exit 103. Go to the light and turn west toward Rutherfordton onto U.S. 64. Drive about .8 tenths mile and turn left onto Salem Road. There will be a sign at each left turn indicating a Division of Prisons facility. Drive one mile and turn left onto Burkemont Road. Drive one mile and turn left onto Western Boulevard. Drive past Foothills Correctional Institution and the prison entrance is on the left.