North Dakota State Penitentiary

The state's oldest prison and flagship facility for men in Bismarck, North Dakota — a maximum-to-minimum-security institution that also serves as the statewide men's reception and orientation point.

Overview

North Dakota State Penitentiary (NDSP) is a state prison for men operated by the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (ND DOCR). It is in Bismarck, the state capital and the seat of Burleigh County, in south-central North Dakota. The facility holds men across a range of custody levels, from maximum to minimum, and is the largest and oldest prison in the state system.

ND DOCR assigns custody level based on factors that include sentence length, time remaining, and conduct, and a resident’s custody level can change during incarceration. The custody class and housing unit held at a given facility affect visiting arrangements, so families confirm the arrangement that applies to the specific person before a first visit.

What Makes the North Dakota State Penitentiary Different

North Dakota State Penitentiary is the state’s oldest prison, established in 1885, and serves as the flagship maximum-security facility for men. It is also the statewide men’s reception and orientation point: newly sentenced men enter the system here, where the reception unit assesses and classifies new arrivals — reviewing physical and medical needs, mental health, and program needs — before a custody level and facility assignment are determined. Because it functions as both the intake site and the highest-custody men’s prison, the facility houses a wider mix of custody levels than the system’s other men’s institutions.

Visiting

The statewide ND DOCR rules above — the approved visitor list, the dress code, ID, and item limits — apply at the North Dakota State Penitentiary. The facility’s own arrangements:

Getting There and Parking

North Dakota State Penitentiary is at 3100 Railroad Avenue in Bismarck, in Burleigh County in south-central North Dakota. Bismarck sits along Interstate 94 and is served by US Highway 83. The Bismarck Airport is the nearest commercial airport, a few miles from the facility.

Parking is on site. Visitors confirm current entry procedures, the visitor-processing location, and what may be brought onto the grounds with the facility before arriving, because electronic devices and personal items are not permitted inside — visitors may generally bring only identification and a limited amount of coins or small bills for vending machines.

Nearby Services

Bismarck is a full-size city with a wide range of lodging, dining, and fuel, including options near Interstate 94 and across the river in Mandan. Emergency and hospital medical care is available locally. Visitors traveling a long distance generally find the most options for overnight stays and meals along the Interstate 94 corridor and in the Bismarck-Mandan area.

Mail

North Dakota DOCR routes incoming personal mail through an off-site scanning vendor. Letters, cards, photos, and drawings sent to a resident are delivered to the Securus Digital Mail Center, where they are opened and scanned; the resident receives a digital copy on their Securus tablet (the “player”) rather than the original paper. Address personal mail with the resident’s full committed name and ID number to:

Resident’s Full Name and ID Number North Dakota State Penitentiary P.O. Box 5521 Bismarck, ND 58506-5521

Legal mail, agency correspondence, documents requiring a signature, and visitation applications are not scanned — they go directly to the facility. Publications must be new and shipped directly from an approved publisher or vendor. Confirm the current mailing address and any package rules with the facility before sending anything, because mail-handling vendors and addresses change.

Learn More

• Visiting in North Dakota — Approved visitor list, scheduling with each facility, dress code, ID, and what you can bring.
• Mail in North Dakota — How North Dakota scans personal mail, the addressing format, and how legal mail and publications are handled.
• Phone & Video in North Dakota — Setting up Securus phone calls and video visits, and how messaging works.
• Sending Money in North Dakota — Using JPay to add money to a resident’s trust account, by mail, online, app, or MoneyGram.
• Medical Care in North Dakota — How health care, intake screening, and requests for care work in ND DOCR facilities.
• Transfers & Intake in North Dakota — Where newly sentenced people enter the system, reception and orientation, and how transfers happen.