North Carolina Inmate Search

As of January 20, 2025, North Carolina's prison system housed 31,368 prison offenders. The state operates numerous correctional facilities, with inmate populations varying across its counties. According to the 2023 annual report of the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections, Cumberland, Buncombe, Cabarrus, Alamance, Cleveland, and Davidson counties had the highest prison population per county of conviction count.

To locate individuals incarcerated in the prisons in the state, you may perform an inmate search using the North Carolina offender locator tool. Hence, an inmate search in North Carolina may be done quickly as it is available to the general public. This allows users to access up-to-date information on state prisoners, probationers, and parolees, including their current location and status.

What is North Carolina Inmate Lookup?

North Carolina inmate lookup is the process of finding incarceration information about an individual held in state-operated prisons. The term may also be used to refer to finding inmate information for a person held in a county jail in the state.

To provide a North Carolina inmate lookup, you may use the offender lookup tool available on the NCDAC website or an inmate lookup tool available on the county website (for an inmate held in a county jail).

North Carolina inmate lookup tools play a vital role in improving transparency within the state's correctional system. By using the tool to look up inmate information, families can stay connected with loved ones and concerned citizens can remain informed. In all, North Carolina's inmate lookup tool enhances public confidence in the justice process.

What Information Can You Find in a North Carolina Inmate Search?

Individuals who conduct inmate searches in North Carolina will typically find the following information:

• Inmate's full name
• Inmate's offender number
• Inmate's status
• Inmate's probation/parole/post-release status
• Inmate's gender
• Inmate's race
• Inmate's ethnic group
• Inmate's birth date
• Inmate's age
• Inmate's current location
• Inmate's conviction date
• Inmate's total incarceration term
• Inmate's release date
• Inmate's last movement information

How Are Inmate Records in North Carolina Created and Stored?

North Carolina inmate records are created by all different types of law enforcement and corrections staff. The process begins when someone is arrested, and a RAP sheet is filled out. This initial document contains the suspect's name, address, physical description, and crime details.

After that, as the inmate moves through the justice system, everything is documented and kept in the file. All these inmate records are maintained and stored by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (DPS). They store inmate records online so that anyone can perform a North Carolina inmate lookup any time of day or night.

What Does North Carolina's Prison System Look Like?

North Carolina's correctional system is managed by the Department of Adult Correction, which oversees approximately 30,000 inmates across tens of state prisons. These facilities vary in security levels, including minimum, medium, and maximum security institutions, each designed to house offenders based on their classification and rehabilitation needs.

In addition to state prisons, each of North Carolina's 100 counties operates its own jail facilities. County jails primarily detain individuals awaiting trial, sentencing, or serving short-term sentences, typically less than one year. The management and operation of county jails fall under the jurisdiction of the respective county sheriff's offices. There are also two federal prisons in North Carolina. These are for individuals who violated federal laws in the state. The administration of federal prisons in North Carolina is done by the Federal Bureau of Prison.

Anyone who wants information on incarcerated individuals in North Carolina may use the inmate search tool provided by the state.

Types of Correctional Facilities in North Carolina

The state of North Carolina has 53 state prisons which hold all felons in the state who have broken serious laws. These individuals were sentenced to more than a year in confinement. North Carolina has various community corrections programs and reentry services to help inmates reintegrate back into society to help reduce recidivism. They also have three federal prisons that hold inmates who have broken federal laws inside North Carolina. The Department of Safety oversees all state prisons and the six juvenile detention centers that house youth offenders. The state also has numerous county jails spread across the 100 counties.

North Carolina State Prisons

There are 53 state prisons in North Carolina. Some of them house only female inmates, and the rest house all males. They each have different focuses and units for different levels of custody. Custody levels may be minimum, medium, close, or multi-custody. A couple of them act as work farms. The list of state prisons in North Carolina includes:

• Alexander Correctional Institution
• Anson Correctional Institution
• Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution
• Mountain View Correctional Institution
• Bertie Correctional Institution
• Craggy Correctional Center
• Western Correctional Center for Women
• Caldwell Correctional Center
• Carteret Correctional Center
• Caswell Correctional Center
• Dan River Prison Work Farm
• Catawba Correctional Center
• Columbus Correctional Institution
• Tabor Correctional Institution
• Craven Correctional Institution
• Davidson Correctional Center
• Forsyth Correctional Center
• Franklin Correctional Center
• Gaston Correctional Center
• Granville Correctional Institution
• Eastern Correctional Institution
• Greene Correctional Institution
• Maury Correctional Institution
• Roanoke River Correctional Institution
• Harnett Correctional Institution
• Hyde Correctional Institution
• Johnston Correctional Institution
• Sanford Correctional Center
• Lincoln Correctional Center
• Marion Correctional Institution
• Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution
• Mountain View Correctional Institution
• Southern Correctional Institution
• Nash Correctional Institution
• New Hanover Correctional Center
• Orange Correctional Center
• Pamlico Correctional Institution
• Pasquotank Correctional Institution
• Pender Correctional Institution
• Randolph Correctional Center
• Richmond Correctional Institution
• Lumberton Correctional Institution
• Piedmont Correctional Institution
• Rutherford Correctional Center
• Sampson Correctional Institution
• Scotland Correctional Institution
• Albemarle Correctional Institution
• Central Prison
• North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women
• Wake Correctional Center
• Warren Correctional Institution
• Neuse Correctional Institution
• Wilkes Correctional Center

North Carolina County Jails

The state of North Carolina has 100 counties. Most of them have a county Sheriff's Office that manages and operates a county jail. These facilities hold pretrial detainees and recently arrested suspects. They may stay in jail during the time of their initial hearing, their trial, and then until sentencing to prison. Some may be released on bail or bond. Many of the local Sheriff's Offices have a website where the public can find out more about inmates and how the jails work. There is no centralized list of county jails, but the North Carolina Department of Public Safety would have information on each of them.

North Carolina Juvenile Detention Centers

North Carolina has nine state-run juvenile detention centers (two of these are co-located with Youth Development Centers). Also, the Juvenile Justice section of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety oversees and supports four county-operated juvenile detention centers. These facilities hold youth offenders under the age of 18. During their stay, inmates receive treatment for addictions, mental and physical health screenings, and education. The list of juvenile detention centers in North Carolina includes:

• Alexander Regional Juvenile Detention Center
• Cabarrus Regional Juvenile Detention Center
• Cumberland Regional Juvenile Detention Center
• Dillon Regional Juvenile Detention Center
• New Hanover Regional Juvenile Detention Center
• Perquimans Juvenile Detention Center
• Pitt Regional Juvenile Detention Center
• Richmond Jenkins Juvenile Detention Center
• Wake Regional Juvenile Detention Center

County-operated detention centers include:

• Brunswick County Juvenile Detention Center
• Durham County Youth Home
• Guilford County Juvenile Detention Center
• Madison County Juvenile Detention Center

North Carolina Community Correctional Facilities

North Carolina cares deeply about recidivism, and therefore, they have extensive programs for reentry and community corrections to provide pre-release and post-release supervision. Their main goal is to protect the safety of the community and help inmates reintegrate back into society successfully. They do this through education, assistance with parenting, mental illness, relationships, job placement, housing, and treatment for addictions.

Why are People Incarcerated in North Carolina?

Offenders may be held in North Carolina jails for a different category of offenses. Typically, offenses may be categorized as violent or non-violent. Violent crimes usually involve harm or threat to individuals such as assault, homicide, sexual offenses, or armed robbery. Non-violent crimes, on the other hand, include theft, fraud, drug possession, and property-related offenses.

Although the state imprisons offenders for public safety reasons, North Carolina emphasizes rehabilitation for nonviolent offenders, by offering programs aimed at addressing underlying issues, such as mental health challenges, substance abuse, and lack of education. This strategy aims to reduce recidivism and support the re-entry of offenders into society. Despite these efforts, incarceration remains essential for those who pose significant risks to community safety.

Anyone interested in performing an inmate search to determine the location of an inmate or the offense committed by the inmate may look up the inmate using the North Carolina offender locator tool on the NDAC website.

North Carolina's Incarceration Rate and Statistics

North Carolina's incarceration rate for year-end 2022 per 100,000 population was 268. The number of North Carolina prisoners at the end of fiscal year 2023 was 31,197, of which 8% were female prisoners, whereas the number of male prisoners was 28,113.

The table below shows North Carolina's total prison admissions over a 5-fiscal year period.

Life After Incarceration in North Carolina

Following the release of offenders upon the completion of their jail terms in North Carolina, re-entry into society is sought. Re-entry may be required in the form of housing, employment, education, mental health support, and substance abuse counseling.

North Carolina has initiatives facilitated by the Transition Services section of the Department of Adult Correction. The Services team helps individuals prepare to navigate life in the local communities. Their efforts include providing tools needed for the successful transition and coordination of support services required for justice-involved persons living in society.

There are also Local Reentry Councils (LRCs) which are an organized network of agencies and individuals providing services and programs for the support of justice-involved residents of local communities. Their mission is to reduce victimization and recidivism and enhance public safety. 17 LRCs are servicing justice-involved persons in 19 counties in the state.

Despite these efforts, the state ranks 22nd in recidivism rate. At least 21% of inmates released from the state's correctional facilities commit a repeat offense, returning to the prison within three years of their initial release.

How Does Parole Work in North Carolina?

Parole is an early-release program available to inmates who have behaved well while in prison. The North Carolina parole board has the authority to release an inmate after a portion of their sentence has been served. This is a supervisory program where the inmate must check in regularly with a parole officer and follow other strict instructions. If they fail to comply with any of the rules, they will return to prison to finish their sentence.

North Carolina Parole Population in 2022

How Does Someone Get Probation in North Carolina?

Probation in North Carolina is a privilege doled out by judges who determine an offender to be a low risk. The offender is allowed to remain free outside of prison but must comply with strict court-ordered rules. These rules include checking in with a probation officer and routine drug tests. If they break any of these rules, they will immediately be arrested and go to prison.

North Carolina Probation Population in 2022