Close security (men) · State Prison · NCDAC

Central Prison

Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina

Visiting schedules change without notice. Always call before traveling.

Call Visiting Office: 919-733-0800 Info last verified: June 2026

North Carolina's main close-security prison for men in Raleigh; the state's prison medical and mental-health hub, and the site of the men's death row and the state execution chamber.

Statewide rules that apply at every NCDAC prison

These rules are set by NCDAC and apply at every unit. The full list — including all permitted and prohibited items and the approval process — is in Visiting in North Carolina.

Dress code

Dress modestly — no halter, tube, strapless, tank, sleeveless, or underwear-style tops, no bare midriffs, and no spandex; shorts and skirts must be no more than about three inches above the knee.
Cell phones, smartwatches, cameras, and recording devices are not allowed inside, and each prison may turn away a visitor who is dressed out of code, so confirm the facility's rules before traveling.

ID: Every visitor must be approved on the offender's visiting list before visiting — the incarcerated person mails an application to each prospective visitor; applicants 16 and older attach a copy of a government photo ID (minors under 16 a birth certificate), and the completed form goes to the prison where the person is housed. Visitors 16 and older show photo ID at the visit.
What to bring: Bring only what the facility allows — phones, smartwatches, cameras, bags, and most personal items are not permitted in the visiting room. Money for the person's trust account is sent through ViaPath (ConnectNetwork) or TouchPay, never handed over at a visit.
Scheduling: Visits are by appointment only — call or email the specific prison to schedule; there is no statewide online scheduler, and visitation status should be confirmed the day before. Visits are generally limited to one per week, up to two hours, with up to three approved visitors. Women enter the system through the diagnostic center at the NC Correctional Institution for Women (Raleigh); men are received at several prisons, including Craven and Piedmont.

Full statewide rules: Visiting in North Carolina

Overview

Central Prison is a close-security state prison for men in Raleigh, Wake County. The facility is operated by the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (NCDAC), the agency that has run the state’s adult prisons since the prison system separated from the Department of Public Safety on January 1, 2023.

In addition to its general population, Central Prison serves the entire state prison system as the medical and mental-health hub for men through the Central Prison Healthcare Complex, an on-site hospital and acute-care facility. Men held at other prisons may be transferred to Central Prison for inpatient medical or mental-health care and later returned, so the prison listed on the NCDAC offender locator may change without families being notified. The locator uses each person’s seven-digit OPUS number.

What Makes Central Prison Different

It is the statewide medical and mental-health hub for men, housing the Central Prison Healthcare Complex, where men from across the system may be sent for inpatient care.
It operates a special-population diagnostic and intake unit, part of North Carolina’s distributed reception model for men, alongside the processing centers at Craven Correctional Institution in Vanceboro and Piedmont Correctional Institution in Salisbury.
It holds the state’s male death row and the execution chamber. Women under a death sentence are held separately, at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh.

Visiting

The statewide NCDAC rules above — the approved visitor list, the dress code, ID, and item limits — apply at Central Prison. The facility’s own arrangements:

Approval first: Every visitor must be on the offender’s approved visiting list. The incarcerated person mails an application to each prospective visitor (up to 18 applications); applicants 16 and older attach a copy of a photo ID, and minors under 16 a copy of a birth certificate. The completed form goes to the prison where the person is housed.
Scheduling: Visits are by appointment only. North Carolina has no statewide online visit scheduler; call or email Central Prison to schedule, and confirm the person’s visitation status the day before.
Visit limits: Generally one visit per week, up to two hours, with up to three approved visitors. Whether a visit is contact or non-contact depends on custody class and disciplinary status; for higher-security or death-row status, visits may be non-contact — confirm with the facility.
Video visits: Scheduled separately through the GettingOut Visits app (ViaPath).

Getting There and Parking

Central Prison is at 1300 Western Boulevard, Raleigh, NC 27606, in Wake County, near downtown Raleigh and the North Carolina State University campus. The facility is off Western Boulevard, accessible from I-40 and the Raleigh Beltline (I-440). Visitor parking is on site. Confirm the visiting schedule and the person’s custody and visitation status with the facility before making the trip.

Nearby Services

Raleigh has full lodging, fuel, and restaurants throughout the city and the surrounding Wake County communities. Hospital emergency rooms are available across the Raleigh area, including facilities near downtown and the NC State campus.

Mail

Incoming personal mail does not go to the prison. North Carolina sends personal mail to an off-site vendor, TextBehind, which opens and scans it and delivers a digital copy to the incarcerated person’s tablet; original letters, cards, and packages are returned to the sender. Address personal mail with the person’s full name and OPUS number and the full (unabbreviated) prison name to: TextBehind, P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131 — and include the sender’s full first and last name in the return address. Legal mail is exempt and goes directly to the facility. Books and publications must come from a publisher or online retailer, shipped to the prison’s street address, not the TextBehind box. Full rules are in Mail & Packages.

Learn More

For detailed information about visiting and communicating with someone in a North Carolina state prison:

Visiting in North Carolina — the approved visitor list, the application, and scheduling
Mail & Packages — the TextBehind mail-scanning process and what still goes to the facility
Phone & Video Calls — ViaPath calls, tablets, and GettingOut video visits
Sending Money — depositing through ViaPath/ConnectNetwork and TouchPay
Medical & Mental Health — sick-call co-pays, mental health, and the grievance board
Transfers & Finding Someone — reception, the locator, and transfers

Sources

This page is compiled from the following publicly available sources. Policies change without notice — confirm current details with the facility before relying on them.