I. Overview of the Department of Correction

The Department of Correction is responsible for the care, custody, and supervision of all individuals sentenced after the conviction of a felony or serious misdemeanor in North Carolina. Sentences may vary from probationary terms served in the community to active prison sentences served in one of the ninety-two prison facilities. The General Statutes direct the department to provide adequate custodial care, educational opportunities, and medical and psychological treatment services to all incarcerated persons while at the same time providing community-based supervision and some needed social services to offenders on probation or on parole or post-release supervision.

The department was established in 1972 by authority of the Executive Reorganization Act of 1971 as the Department of Social Rehabilitation and Control. The Act provided for the joining of the Parole Commission, the Advisory Board of Correction, and the department made up of the Divisions of Prisons, Adult Probation and Parole and Youth Development. The secretary of the department is appointed by the Governor and serves at his pleasure. The secretary is responsible for the supervision and administration of all department functions except that the Parole Commission has the sole authority to release incarcerated offenders prior to the expiration of their sentence.

In July, 1974, the department was renamed the Department of Correction, the Parole Commission was expanded from three to five members, and further consolidation of responsibilities and functions occurred. In 1975, the Division of Youth Development was transferred administratively to the Department of Human Resources, leaving the Department of Correction its current administrative configuration.

The history of corrections in North Carolina reflects the continued development and refining of the prison, probation and parole segments of the department.

The Division of Prisons was organized in the late 1860's-early 1870's with the opening of a large prison farm in Wake County and the construction of Central Prison in Raleigh. This reorganization was a result of the "Reconstruction" of the Constitution of North Carolina which was accepted by the United States Congress in 1868. In 1899, Caledonia Prison Farm was purchased from Halifax County. This arrangement continued until 1933 when the General Assembly transferred supervision of the three state prisons and the various county prisons to the State Highway and Public Works Commission. This merger of the highway and prison systems was motivated by the steadily worsening economic and social conditions caused by the Depression. Under this arrangement, prisons were supported by appropriations from the Highway Fund while prisoners were extensively employed on road work.

The Division of Prisons remained under total administrative control of the Highway and Public Works Commission until 1955 when the director of prisons was granted the ability to set divisional rules, regulations and policies to include the hiring, promotion, and dismissal of employees. At the same time, the General Assembly formed the Prison Reorganization Commission to study the relationship between prisons and the highway system. The Commission recommended that a separate prison department be formed and legislation was enacted forming the Prison Department in 1957.

Also in 1957, landmark legislation was enacted authorizing a statewide system of work release. North Carolina thus became the first state prison system to allow inmates to work at private employment during the day, returning to confinement in the evening. Today, North Carolina has the nation's largest work release population with approximately 1,200 individuals employed.

Probation was first initiated in the United States in 1878 in Massachusetts. In 1919, North Carolina enacted its first probation laws but limited probation to first offender female prostitutes and certain juveniles under the supervision of female officers. In 1937, legislation was enacted forming the Probation Commission to supervise a statewide network of male and female offenders reporting to probation officers. In 1972, the commission was disbanded when the Division of Adult Probation and Parole was formed within the newly created department. At first, probation officers retained an exclusive probation supervision caseload, but by mid-1974 they were carrying parole caseloads as well. Currently, probation and parole officers assigned to field services (probation) carry a full combination of probation and parole caseloads, as well as offenders on dual supervision, who are on both probation and parole simultaneously.

Parole began as a system of pardons and commutations granted by the Governor in the original Constitution of North Carolina in 1776. This system was maintained in the Reconstruction Constitution of 1868. In 1919, the General Assembly established an Advisory Board of Paroles which made recommendations to the Governor. This board was reduced to the Commissioner of Pardons in 1925, the Officer of Executive Counsel in 1929, and the Commissioner of Paroles in 1935. It was this 1935 legislation that created the position of parole officers under the supervision of the commissioner.

The 1953 session of the General Assembly abolished the Office of Commissioner and established the Board of Paroles consisting of three members. At the same time a constitutional amendment was approved in the 1954 general election to give the board full authority to grant, revoke or terminate paroles.

Through the 1980s, the Parole Commission was forced to release many inmates early due to overcrowding and a prison population cap enacted in response to a lawsuit. In 1993, the General Assembly voted to abolish discretionary parole and institute a system of post-release supervision for the reintegration of long-term inmates. The Commission will continue to be responsible for any inmates sentenced under the earlier parole laws.

The General Statutes establishing the Department of Correction direct the secretary to provide for the general safety of North Carolina's citizens by operating and maintaining prisons, supervising probationers and parolees, and providing certain rehabilitative and educational programs to individuals supervised by the department. The department is divided into three major operational sections: the Divisions of Prisons, the Division of Adult Probation and Parole, and the Division of Alcohol and Chemical Dependency. This statistical summary provides information on offender movements and populations. Section II covers prison admissions, releases, and resident population at period end. Section III details the entries, exits, and supervised probation population, while Section IV provides the same information on parolees. Section V includes information about programs and activities provided to inmates through the Correction Enterprise, the Division of Alcoholism and Chemical Dependency, and the Division of Prisons itself in work and education. Summary statistical tables are included at the end of the report to provide general information about individual crime types, counties, and escapes from prison. Additionally, tables are included which list all correctional institutions and probation area offices with the names of the superintendents or managers and the address and telephone number. At the end of the report is a glossary of technical terms used in the summary.

The General Assembly supports the work of the Department of Correction through budgetary allocations. In addition to funds authorized to the Department by the legislature, there are several other sources of income for the Department, including proceeds from Correction Enterprise. The overall budget available to the Department and the amount of that budget expended in each of the last five years is displayed in the table below.

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NC Dept. of Correction.
Research & Planning.
Revised: October 07, 2002.