Central Prison
Encyclopedia
Central Prison is a prison operated by the North Carolina Department of Correction
(NCDOC) in Raleigh
, North Carolina
. The prison, west of Downtown Raleigh, is on 29 acres (11.7 ha) of land and is bounded by a double wire fence with a razor ribbon on top. NCDOC describes the original building as "castle-like."
Inmates built the prison for 14 years, and granite quarried from an area outside of what would become the east wall of the prison was used to build the facility. The prison's construction was completed in December 1884; the prison, built for $1.25 million, was the first prison in North Carolina. A three story prison industries building, housing the state license plate fabrication shop and a complete print shop, was built in the 1940s. An acute care infirmary hospital with wards for 86 patients, operating rooms, X-ray laboratories, and a pharmacy opened in the 1960s. Two mental health wings with 144 single bed rooms opened in the 1970s. The state placed the prison under extensive renovations in the 1980s. The first phase had a price of $28.8 million. The first phase included a custody control and administration building, a maximum security housing building with 384 single cells, a central services building, and central plant utility systems. The $8.6 million second phase included a three story working resident building, which had 192 single cells for inmates assigned to jobs within the boundaries of the prison.
North Carolina Department of Correction
The North Carolina Department of Correction is the agency responsible for corrections in the U.S. state of North Carolina.-History:In 1868, North Carolina adopted a new State Constitution that provided for building a state penitentiary. Inmates began building the state's first prison, Central...
(NCDOC) in Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The prison, west of Downtown Raleigh, is on 29 acres (11.7 ha) of land and is bounded by a double wire fence with a razor ribbon on top. NCDOC describes the original building as "castle-like."
Inmates built the prison for 14 years, and granite quarried from an area outside of what would become the east wall of the prison was used to build the facility. The prison's construction was completed in December 1884; the prison, built for $1.25 million, was the first prison in North Carolina. A three story prison industries building, housing the state license plate fabrication shop and a complete print shop, was built in the 1940s. An acute care infirmary hospital with wards for 86 patients, operating rooms, X-ray laboratories, and a pharmacy opened in the 1960s. Two mental health wings with 144 single bed rooms opened in the 1970s. The state placed the prison under extensive renovations in the 1980s. The first phase had a price of $28.8 million. The first phase included a custody control and administration building, a maximum security housing building with 384 single cells, a central services building, and central plant utility systems. The $8.6 million second phase included a three story working resident building, which had 192 single cells for inmates assigned to jobs within the boundaries of the prison.
Notable prisoners
Death row- Perrie SimpsonPerrie SimpsonPerrie Dyon Simpson, was executed by lethal injection at the Central Prison in Raleigh, North Carolina on January 20, 2006. Simpson was found guilty of the 1984 murder of Jean Ernest Darter, a 92-year-old white male...
- Executed on January 20, 2006. - Henry Louis WallaceHenry Louis WallaceHenry Louis Wallace is an American serial killer who killed 10 women in Charlotte, North Carolina and is awaiting execution at Central Prison in Raleigh.-Early life:...
External links
- "Central Prison." North Carolina Department of CorrectionNorth Carolina Department of CorrectionThe North Carolina Department of Correction is the agency responsible for corrections in the U.S. state of North Carolina.-History:In 1868, North Carolina adopted a new State Constitution that provided for building a state penitentiary. Inmates began building the state's first prison, Central...
.