What It Means That Polk CI Houses Young Adults (ages 18–21)

Polk CI houses inmates ages 18–21. For families, this matters - your loved one is in a setting designed specifically for young adults, not a general adult population. That shapes the programming offered and how daily routines are organized for people still in an early stage of adulthood.

Polk also serves as a diagnostic processing center. People are often there during an early "processing" phase while the system gathers information and makes decisions about placement and needs. If your loved one just arrived, expect some waiting and uncertainty. Ask what stage they're in and what comes next - it'll help you make sense of the timeline.

Polk CI assigns 324 inmates to work and programs, and offers education programs. These opportunities structure a person's days - work assignments and classes fill large chunks of time and can affect when someone is available for calls. The facility also provides Drug Alcohol Recovery Treatment (DART). If substance use has been part of your loved one's history, DART can be a key piece of their plan, especially for building stability and demonstrating progress. Program participation is one of the few areas where your loved one can take concrete steps forward while inside.

• ✓ Ask whether they’ve been assigned to work or other programs yet (Polk assigns 324 inmates to work and programs).
• ✓ Confirm what education programs are available to them and how enrollment works.
• ✓ If DART is relevant, ask whether they can be considered for Drug Alcohol Recovery Treatment and what the timeline looks like.
• ✓ Check whether program participation affects their daily schedule and the best times to expect communication.
• ✓ Encourage them to keep track of what they’re enrolled in so you can support their goals from the outside.

Visiting at Polk CI means no physical contact. You'll see the person through a window and speak by phone. Knowing this ahead of time helps set expectations - your visit will feel more like a structured conversation than an in-person sit-down.

Polk CI sits on 166 acres, with 43 fenced acres forming the prison compound. The facility includes an administration building, four dormitories, and three single-cell housing units, staffed by 538 employees. These details give a sense of scale - this is a sizable operation with multiple housing types and a large staff presence.

You'll find different capacity numbers for Polk CI depending on the source: a standard operating capacity of 900, a range of 948–1,076 inmates, and 1,076 total beds including housing and segregation areas. These numbers don't line up perfectly. Treat them as general context rather than a single official headcount - and verify the current figure with the facility or Department of Corrections if it affects a decision you're making.

A couple of historical notes help put Polk's operations in context. Polk was the first North Carolina prison to implement a cashless canteen system and remove inmate use of cash (May 1991). The "new Polk" facility has a reported construction cost of $43 million. These are milestones - they don't tell you today's exact procedures, but they show Polk has been a site of major operational changes over time.

1. Confirm the age placement - Since Polk houses ages 18–21, ask your loved one (or confirm through official channels) that they’re placed where they’re supposed to be.
2. Ask what stage of processing they’re in - Because Polk serves as a diagnostic processing center, timing and next steps can depend on where they are in that process.
3. Focus on programs early - Have your loved one find out whether they can access education, work/program assignments, and (if relevant) DART, and when enrollment decisions are made.
4. Set expectations for visits - Visiting is no-contact, with a window and phone conversation, so plan for a talk-focused visit.
5. Verify capacity details when it matters - If you’re making decisions based on how full the facility is, use the DOC/facility as the final source since published figures conflict.