What to know about specific facility features and statewide services

Facility setups vary widely, which affects what a visit feels like. Polk Youth Institution sits on 166 acres, with 43 fenced acres making up the prison compound. It includes an administration building, four dormitories, and three single-cell housing units. The visiting area is in the administration building, and visits are non-contact (you see the prisoner through a window and talk over a phone).

North Carolina also runs statewide programs that affect daily life and planning. Correction Enterprises (the prison industry division) operates 30 revenue-producing operations across the state, supported by administrative offices in Raleigh and a central warehouse in Apex. It employs approximately 380 staff and 2,100 inmate workers, with plans to add four new industries to increase work and training opportunities.

For packages, NCDAC families often use a pre-approved, statewide option instead of sending items from home. Union Supply Direct offers seasonal packages for people incarcerated in NCDAC, with items advertised as pre-approved for prisons. If the incarcerated person is placed on certain control statuses before a package ships, Union Supply Direct will cancel the order and issue a refund minus a $5.00 restocking fee.