Marion Correctional Institution
Mailing Address: Box 2405 Marion NC 28752
Street Address: 355 Old Glenwood Road Marion NC 28752 Phone: 828-659-7810 Fax: 828-652-0115
Facility #3730 Courier # 12-91-07
Marion Correctional Institution is a close custody institution for adult males. The Prison was established as a result of the $200 million prison construction bond referendum approved by North Carolina voters in 1990. The prison was funded in two stages. The first 520 cells were funded in July 1991 and reauthorized in July 1992 as part of a $30 million construction project in the $103 million prison construction program. During the 1994 special session, the General Assembly provided $5,358,900 for construction of a 192 cell housing unit addition. In 1991, the McDowell County Commissioners purchased 125 acres formerly known as the Carl Holland farm in the Rocky Pass community and donated the property to the Department of Correction for construction of the prison. Grading of the site began in March 1992 and construction was completed in January 1995. Inmate housing assignments began in June 1995. Marion was originally designed as a 660-bed medium security adult male prison, but was redesigned as a close and medium security prison with a capacity for 930 inmates because the state needed more high security prison cells.
Marion Minimum Security Unit
There are approximately 400 staff members who work at MCI. Staff is well trained in all areas of corrections and can apply to attend additional, career enhancing training. The computer training center for the Western Region is on-site at Marion Correctional Institution.
Inmates are assigned to Marion Correctional Institution based on classification, reassignment, demotion in custody, administrative transfer from another close custody prison or segregation housing needs and program needs.
McDowell Technical Community College works with the prison to provide academic and vocational classes. Courses include adult education and preparation for the GED tests, information systems, industrial sewing, cabinet making and horticulture. Inmates may also participate in the Outreach Program through UNC-Chapel Hill and earn college credits. In an effort to assist inmates in bettering themselves, Cognitive Behavior Intervention classes are offered. Inmates may participate in courses such as Character Education, Reasoning and Rehabilitation, and Thinking for a Change. These courses offer inmates a different way of thinking their way through problems and offer them alternative thought processes to moral dilemmas faced by us all everyday.
Besides program opportunities offered to inmates, they are offered job training. Inmates can be assigned to a variety of work programs that include positions in a Correctional Enterprises sewing plant. This plant manufactures clothing for the division of Prisons as well as other state agencies. Prisoners work in two shifts of 60 each. Other opportunities include maintenance positions, recreational positions, kitchen work, janitorial, etc. Prisoners housed at MMSU are afforded the opportunity to work on-site or back in the community, where they provide services at no cost to taxpayers. Community Work Squads perform short term, manual labor tasks under the supervision of a correctional officer for state and local agencies. Litter Squads go throughout the area keeping the roadsides and landscape clean and green. These services have provided a substantial savings to the taxpayers of McDowell County. Anyone operating a state vehicle is welcome to stop at the carwash station located at MMSU. The most recent service extended to the county is the New Leash on Life Program. This rescues dogs from the animal shelter that otherwise, would be euphemized and puts them through an extensive 8 week obedience training program provided by trained inmates at MMSU. Once they have “graduated”, they are adopted into caring families. Another money saving measure that was undertaken in 2004 was to have Marion Correctional Institution annexed into the city limits of Marion. This has resulted in substantially lower water and sewer costs and allowed these monies to be spent in other area. In an effort to assist the Hispanic inmate population, Marion Correctional Institution offers English as a Second Language classes. This enables these inmates to better function in our system, and hopefully, upon their release back into society. Many of the programs that are offered are done so with the assistance of Community Volunteers. These programs include structured recreational activities, Prison Fellowship, Yokefellows, substance abuse counseling, anger management, religions programs/activities, and self-improvement programs. Our volunteers undergo training prior to being allowed to work with our inmate population and through their dedicated efforts we are able to offer the additional programs. Together with our staff chaplains, worship services for all faith groups are offered as well as supportive counseling.
An important aspect to be addressed while incarcerated is visits with family and friends.
Visitation occurs on weekends for both Marion Correctional Institution and MMSU. Visitation date and time per Unit:
D & H Units; Saturday only 1:30 pm-3:30 pm. E & F Unit; Saturday only 8:30 am-10:30am. MMSU; Sunday only 12:30pm – 2:30 pm. Special visits/out of state visits can be arranged by contacting the appropriate Unit Manager. Inmates who are on Non-Contact Visitation Status can have visits scheduled by contacting the Support Lieutenant. Inmate medical needs/issues are addressed by our Medical Department. Healthcare for the inmate population is provided 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. Nursing staff conduct sick call five days per week and a contract physician is on site three days per week. Additionally, inmates are afforded out-patient mental health treatment/care and full time dental care. DIRECTIONS: Take Interstate 40 west to N.C. 226 (exit 86 Marion/Shelby) and drive south about one mile. Turn right onto the Old Glenwood road, the prison access road is one quarter mile on the left.
NC DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION
DIVISION OF PRISONS
VISITATION RULES
Visitor Applications
A COMPLETED APPLICATION MUST BE APPROVED BY THE FACILITY STAFF BEFORE A VISIT CAN OCCUR.
Inmates must obtain blank application forms from the facility. A maximum of 18 applications will be allowed per inmate.
Inmates must mail the blank applications to those persons from whom they wish to receive a visit while incarcerated.
An application for each adult and minor must be complete. Completed applications must be returned to the facility where the inmate is currently housed. Applications will not be accepted from inmates.
Incomplete applications will not be approved.
Each applicant age 16 and older, must choose 1 of the approved picture IDs and attach a copy to the application. Driver License ID and State issued ID’s must be issued by any State Division of Motor Vehicles. Minors under 16 must have a copy of their birth certificate attached to the application.
It is the inmate’s responsibility to notify the visitor of their application status.
It is the visitor’s responsibility to update their application information. (i.e. address, phone numbers, etc.) Incorrect application information could lead to an approved visitor becoming disapproved.
A minor under the age of 16 must update their application upon reaching age 16 to include a copy of a photo ID.
Clergy visitors must complete a DC-949P application and be approved prior to visiting with an inmate. They will not be counted as part of the 18.
Disapproving Applications
The following reasons MAY be grounds for disapproving a visitor application:
Application form was copied and not an original.
Application was not complete or did not include proper attachments.
Application contained false information.
The visitor has a prior criminal record. *
The visitor was a participant in the criminal activity for which the inmate is incarcerated. *
The visitor is an ex-offender that has not been release for a minimum of 12 months. *
The visitor is on probation/parole or supervised release or has not been off probation or supervised release for a minimum of 6 months. *
* There may be exceptions for these rules for immediate family members.
Inmate Visitation List
Each inmate is allowed 18 approved visitors (adults and minors).
Legal, Law Enforcement, Consular Officials, Local and State Family Services and Juvenile Court officials must register with the facility prior to visiting with the inmate. They will not be counted in the maximum 18 approved visitors.
Only immediate family members or those who have acted as immediate family, clergy, legal, law enforcement, family/juvenile services, or consular officials will be approved for visitation with more than one inmate.
An inmate’s visitation list remains active when transferring to a new facility.
When an inmate is released or paroled, the visitation list becomes inactive. If the inmate is re-admitted, the visitation process must start over.
When an inmate reaches the maximum number of approved visitors (18), he/she will not be able to adjust their visitation list until their open enrollment period.
An inmate’s open enrollment period will be every six months based on the date of admission to prison. (i.e. inmate’s admission date is January; open enrollment is July and January)
If an inmate has 18 approved visitors and they want to add a new visitor during open enrollment they must first remove one of the current approved visitors from the list.
An inmate may request that an approved visitor be removed at anytime. They may not add a replacement until his/her open enrollment.
If a facility suspends an approved visitor, the inmate may not add a replacement until his/her open enrollment period.
An application for a new visitor must be submitted, completed, returned, and approved BEFORE the new visitor can visit. It will be up to the inmate to inform the new visitor of their visitation status.
Visits
Under normal circumstances, inmates will be allowed no more than 1 visiting session per week not to exceed two hours. This does not include legal, law enforcement, or clergy visits.
The normal maximum number of visitors per visiting session will not exceed three approved visitors.
Facility superintendents have the discretion to modify the number of approved visitors during the visitation session based on operational and space considerations.
Violations of visiting privileges may result in disciplinary action against the inmate and appropriate administrative or legal actions against the visitor.
Inmates with serious or critical medical conditions will be allowed visits by their immediate family members as specified by the facility superintendent.
Inmates on administrative or disciplinary segregation or inmates in control status, except for protective control, will be restricted to non-contact visits by appointment. A facility superintendent has the discretion to alter the visiting times, frequency of visits, duration and number of visits based on security and/or operational considerations.
Inmates on administrative segregation may be allowed visiting privileges.
Inmates in Disciplinary segregation will be allowed visits from attorneys, legal assistants, and clergy. Personal visitation privileges may be limited consistent with security requirements.
Inmates validated as Security Threat Group level 2 will be allowed contact visits with approved immediate family members. Inmates validated as level 3 will be allowed non-contact visits with approved immediate family members. Inmates validated as security threat level 2 or 3 will not be allowed visits with individuals who are not immediate family members.
Regular population inmates may be restricted to non-contact visits based on behavior detrimental to the security of the institution. (i.e. drug/alcohol disciplinary convictions, refusal to submit drug/alcohol test, disciplinary convictions or misconduct during visitation)
Appropriate Dress for Visitors
The following requirements are for visitors and apply at all facilities. The dress code will be strictly enforced. It will be the inmate’s responsibility to communicate these standards to his/her visitors.
Shirts and shoes are mandatory.
Halter tops, bare midriffs, strapless tops, tube tops, body suits, underwear-type tee-shirts, tank tops, sleeveless shirts or dresses that are inappropriately revealing (a sleeveless shirt or dress is considered inappropriately revealing when the female breast or lingerie can be seen), fish net shirts, or any type of shirt or pants made with see-though fabric are NOT allowed to be worn by any visitor (male or female).
Visitors may wear Bermuda-length shorts provided they are not more than three (3”) inches above the kneecap.
Females may wear dresses or skirts. Dresses or skirts may not be more than three (3”) inches above the kneecap. Slits in skirts and dresses may not be more than three (3”) inches above the kneecap. Dresses and skirts for pre-teens may be shorter than three (3”) inches above the kneecap.
Any shirt or other articles of clothing with a picture or language that may be considered profane or offensive by current public standards or DOC standards, or considered STG (gang) related will not be allowed.
Wave caps, doo rags, bandanas are not allowed.
Slacks and pants are to be worn at or above the waist.
Spandex clothing is prohibited.
Questions concerning the information in this handout or the Division’s Visitation Policy/Procedure (D.0200), should be directed to the facility head
VISITATION POLICY Questions & Answers October 2004
What is the reason for implementing a new visitation policy?
How will the new application process affect someone who has been an approved visitor and has been visiting an inmate for some time? The Division of Prisons anticipates the process will not affect them, but they will still have to fill out an application so their information will be on file. However, if it is discovered someone violated a policy in the past or provided inaccurate information, they could be denied visitation privileges statewide.
Will the information on the application be confidential? Yes, the information will be filed and held confidentially. Inmates will not have access to this information.
Is all the information requested on the applications mandatory in order for an application to be approved? Yes.
When will the new policy go into effect? Applications are being distributed now, but several pilot sites (TBA) will start the new approval process June 1, 2004, which precedes implementation at every state correctional facility later this year.
Why do you require government issued ID and only specific ones? The IDs listed all have verifiable standards for authenticity and they are numerically based.
Why do you ask for employer information on the application? To see if the visitor should be considered as a “special visitor” such as clergy, legal, family services, juvenile court services, media or representatives of a criminal justice consulting organization.
Why do you require birth certificate for anyone under age 16? To verify the age of the minor. All those 16 and above must have government issued ID. In addition, it also may verify who the legal guardian of the minor is and who would be responsible for authorizing a minor visiting with an inmate.
Why are you asking about crime convictions? For security purposes.
Will a criminal history prevent someone from visiting? A crime conviction will NOT necessarily prevent someone from being approved as a visitor. Facility management will review crime convictions on a case-by-case basis. Note: This is not a change in our policy. Facility heads have always had the authority to deny visitation to those with criminal records that they feel would present a security concern. It is important to note, however, that it is not the intention of the division to deny visitation to an individual simply because they have a criminal record. Such a denial must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis utilizing good judgment. Particular consideration should be paid to immediate family. Factors that should be considered for all applicants whether they are immediate family or not include, but are not limited to: the nature and extensiveness of the criminal record, how recent any criminal history is, whether the applicant is on active probation or a co-defendant, and relation to the inmate.
How many visitors are the maximum allowed during a single visit? Three visitors is the normal maximum number allowed per visit by policy. Children (minors) under 18 years of age may be allowed to accompany the adults provided the adults and minors are on the approved visitor list and the minors remain under the immediate supervision of the adults during the visit. Facility superintendents/administrators have the discretion to modify the number of approved visitors during the visitation session based on operational and space considerations.
When an appointment is made to visit with an inmate, can one group of three people visit with the inmate for a certain amount of time and then another group of three people visit with the inmate for the remainder of the time? It depends on the facility where the inmate is housed. Some facility superintendents do allow split visits when space and other security matters allow. It is up to the discretion of the facility superintendent/administrator.
What is open enrollment? When an inmate reaches the maximum number of approved visitors (18), they will not be able to modify the list until their open enrollment period. The open enrollment period will be every six months based on date of the inmate’s admission. (For example: If an inmate is admitted into the system in March, their open enrollment will be every March and August.)
Who is required to complete the application and turn it in to the facility? The person who wants to visit the inmate must complete the application and turn it in to the facility where the inmate is housed. The inmate must send the application to the person and then let the person know when they have been approved by the facility.
Why are the inmates allowed to only have 18 approved visitors? This is a manageable number for the division and a reasonable number for the inmates to have on their approved list.
Once the application for visiting privileges is submitted to the prison, how long will it take to get approval to visit? Once the new procedures are in place, in most cases it will take a few days to process the applications and enter the information into the computer system. However, there may be some occasions that verification of the information provided could delay the processing of the application. Appropriately completed applications do help in speeding up the process. NOTE: All visitors should verify with the inmate that the visitor has been approved for visitation before traveling to the facility.
If someone is denied or disapproved for visitation, how can they appeal? Disapproved visitors may appeal in writing to the Director of Prisons or his/her designated representative requesting restoration of visiting privilege and their justification for this action. The Director of Prisons or his/her designee may modify any suspension or termination of visiting privilege. The address for filing an appeal is:
Director of Prisons 4260 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-4260
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE POLICY OR NEW PROCEDURES, YOU SHOULD CALL THE PRISON WHERE YOUR FAMILY MEMBER OR FRIEND IS HOUSED OR YOU MAY CALL THE DEPARTMENT INFORMATION HOTLINE AT 1-800-368-1985.