New Hanover Correctional Center
New Hanover Correctional Center is a designated re-entry facility that serves as a minimum-security prison for male inmates. It is located in Wilmington, North Carolina, and can house 402 inmates. The New Hanover Correctional Center is managed by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.
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. Offenders slept on cots in two large rooms – one for each race – separated by a guard room. The prison was remodeled in 1928 and expanded to house 250 offenders.
New Hanover was one of 51 county prisons that the state assumed responsibility for 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 offenders 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. Offenders moved into the first 50-bed dorm in 1988 and the other dorms in 1992.
Prison engineers supervised offenders in remodeling the prison's original building to provide classrooms and office space that opened in l994. An 18-bed dormitory provides administrative and disciplinary segregation space for minimum custody offenders needing to be segregated.
Prison Insights
New Hanover Correctional Center
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Visiting Hours and Rules
VISITATION TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED
To prevent the potential spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), prison visitation was suspended as of Monday, March 16, 2020, with the exception of legal and pastoral visits. Those visitors are subject to medical screening prior to entrance. Visitation will resume when conditions are deemed safe.
Regular Visiting Hours
Regular population offenders visit Saturday of each month. The population is divided in half by alphabet and visits on Saturday 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. and the other half from 2 - 4 p.m. for a maximum of two hours. The maximum number of visitors per visit is three (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.
Visiting Application
You must complete an application and have it approved before visiting an inmate. Your inmate must send you a blank application for each adult and minor who wishes to visit. After the applications are completed, you must return them to New Hanover Correctional Center.
Click here for more detailed information about visiting an inmate at New Hanover Correctional Center.
Dress Code
All visitors must follow the dress code or they will be denied entrance into the facility. Before you are allowed to visit, you must pass through a metal detector search.
- Shirts and shoes are mandatory.
- Halter tops, bare midriffs, strapless tops, tube tops, bodysuits, underwear-type T-shirts, tank tops, sleeveless shirts or dresses that are inappropriately revealing (a sleeveless shirt or dress is considered inappropriately revealing when the female breast or lingerie can be seen), fishnet shirts, or any type of shirt or pants made with see-through fabric are NOT allowed to be worn by any visitor (male or female).
- Visitors may wear Bermuda-length shorts provided they are not more than three inches above the kneecap.
- Females may wear dresses or skirts. Dresses or skirts may not be more than three inches above the kneecap. Slits in skirts and dresses may not be more than three inches above the kneecap. Dresses and skirts for pre-teens may be shorter than three inches above the kneecap.
- Any shirt or other articles of clothing with a picture or language that may be considered profane or offensive by current public standards or Adult Correction standards, or considered STG (gang) related will not be allowed.
- Wave caps, doo rags, and bandanas are not allowed.
- Slacks and pants are to be worn at or above the waist.
- Spandex clothing is prohibited.
Physical Address
New Hanover Correctional Center
330 Division Drive
Wilmington, NC 28401
Driving Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/3ghdJKjreZZ5ayETA
General Phone Number
910-251-2666
Inmate Mailing Address(es)
Inmate Name, OPUS Number
New Hanover Correctional Center
330 Division Drive
Wilmington, NC 28401
All inmate mail should be addressed so that the full name and OPUS number of the inmate appears on the envelope. The person sending mail should be identified in the return address.
For information about sending packages to an inmate, click here.How to Call an Inmate
Inmates at the New Hanover Correctional Center can’t receive incoming calls, but they do have access to phones during daytime hours to make outgoing calls. For complete details on how to call an inmate in North Carolina, please click here.
How to Send Money
The North Carolina Department of Public Safety has partnered with JPay to offer several options for sending money to inmates at New Hanover Correctional Center. All North Carolina state prisons require that you be on the inmate’s approved visitor list to send funds using JPay.
Online
Send money online with your credit or debit card at JPay.com. It's the quickest and easiest way to get your loved one the funds they need.
JPay Mobile App
Download the JPay mobile app from the Apple App Store (for iPhones) or Google Play (for Android phones) and send money wherever you happen to be!
Toll-Free Phone
You can send money by phone using your credit or debit card. Call (800) 574-5729 to speak with a live JPay call center agent 24/7.
Money Orders
Money orders must be made payable to JPay and sent with a deposit slip to:
JPay
P.O. Box 173070
Hialeah, FL 33017
Money order deposit slip available in English here.
Hoja de Depósito para Giros Bancarios disponible en Español aquí.
Walk-In
To make a cash deposit, visit any MoneyGram agent location (including all Walmarts and CVS Pharmacies), and use code 1224. Visit JPay.com to get a list of nearby MoneyGram locations.
Programs For Inmates
New Hanover CC operates one of the largest work release facilities in the state with more than 140 offenders leaving the prison daily to work at various businesses in the community. Offenders may be assigned to a variety of jobs such as N.C. Department of Transportation road squads, municipal labor contracts, ILM Airport in Wilmington, and the USS Battleship North Carolina. Offenders may also be assigned to on-site jobs in housekeeping, maintenance, or the kitchen.
Cape Fear Community College provides both full-time and part-time educational, vocational, and self enrichment courses at the prison. The following classes are offered: High School Equivalency, Computer Information Systems, Horticulture Technology, Electrical Wiring, Human Resource Development, Computer Applications, Cognitive Behavior Intervention, F.A.T.H.E.R., Anger Management, Network Cable/Copper Wiring, and Network Fiber Optics. HISTORY
Pictures of New Hanover Correctional Center
Careers at New Hanover Correctional Center
If you are interested in a career with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and would like to work at the New Hanover Correctional Center, you can find out more information by clicking here.
