Medium security (men) · State Prison · NCDAC

Columbus Correctional Institution

Whiteville, Columbus County, North Carolina

Visiting schedules change without notice. Always call before traveling.

Call Visiting Office: 910-642-3285 Info last verified: June 2026

A medium-security state prison for men in Whiteville, in southeastern North Carolina.

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

Columbus Correctional Institution is a medium-security prison for men in Whiteville, Columbus County, in southeastern North Carolina. The institution is operated by the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (NCDAC).

North Carolina uses a distributed reception model for men: Craven Correctional Institution in Vanceboro is a major processing center, Piedmont Correctional Institution in Salisbury receives western men 22 and older with sentences under ten years, and Central Prison in Raleigh runs a special-population diagnostic. A person’s custody level is assigned during processing. Because families are not automatically notified of routine transfers, the NCDAC offender locator is the way to confirm where someone is currently held.

What Makes Columbus Different

Columbus Correctional Institution operates as a medium-security men’s prison within the state system. Two NCDAC prisons sit in Columbus County: Columbus Correctional Institution in Whiteville and Tabor Correctional Institution in Tabor City. Confirm which facility holds the person on the NCDAC offender locator before traveling, as the two are separate institutions with their own visiting arrangements.

Visiting

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

Approval first: Every visitor must be approved on the offender’s visiting list. The incarcerated person mails an application to each prospective visitor; applicants 16 and older attach a copy of a government 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. Call or email the prison to schedule; North Carolina has no statewide online visit scheduler. Confirm visitation status the day before.
Visitor 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 the person’s custody class and disciplinary status.
Video visits: Video visits are available separately through the GettingOut Visits app (ViaPath).

Getting There and Parking

Columbus Correctional Institution is at 1255 Prison Camp Road, Whiteville, NC 28472, in Columbus County in southeastern North Carolina, in the Wilmington region. There is no public-transit service to the institution; visitors generally arrive by private vehicle. Confirm visiting days and hours with the facility before traveling.

Nearby Services

Whiteville is in Columbus County, with the Wilmington area to the east. The closest full-service hospital emergency rooms are in the Whiteville and Wilmington areas. Lodging, fuel, and restaurants are available in Whiteville and along the routes toward Wilmington.

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.