Tyrrell Prison Work Farm

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 840, Columbia, NC 27925
Street Address: Snell Road, Columbia, NC 27925
Phone: 252-796-1085
County: Tyrrell
Offender capacity: 620
Facility type: Male, Minimum Custody

LIMITED VISITATION RESUMES OCT. 1, 2020

The Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice will resume limited visitation at all state’s prisons effective Oct. 1, 2020 with significant restrictions due to the pandemic. Visitation was suspended in all state prisons on March 16, 2020, with the exception of legal and pastoral visits, to help prevent the potential spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

The health and safety of employees and offenders in our care are the top priorities of the Department of Public Safety. For information on coronavirus and how to protect yourself, please go the NC Department of Health and Human Services website.

To learn what else Prisons is doing to combat coronavirus, click here.

For more information on visitation, click here.

Directions

From Winston-Salem/Greensboro: Follow Interstate 40 East to Raleigh. Take exit 301 toward Rocky Mount (I-440) and get off on exit 14 (I-495) toward Rocky Mount/Wilson. This Stay on U.S. 64 East to Williamston and continue to Columbia. When coming into Columbia, go through the stop light. Go one block amd turn left at Road Street. Follow this road for 3 ½ miles to Snell Road. Turn right on Snell Road to Tyrrell Prison Work Farm.

From Manteo: Follow US 64 West to Columbia. Turn right on Road Street and follow above directions.

From Elizabeth City: Follow US 17 South to Highway 37. Turn left and follow to US 64 East. Turn left on Highway 64 East and follow to Columbia. Then follow above directions.

SENDING MAIL TO OFFENDERS

The N.C. Department of Public Safety has changed the way offenders receive mail. To help keep contraband out of prisons, all mail to offenders must be sent through a private company, TextBehind.

You must address mail to offenders in this way, or it will be returned:

Offender Name and OPUS Number
Prison Name
P.O. Box 247
Phoenix, MD 21131

Examples:

John Doe #1234567                      Jane Doe #7654321
Polk Correctional Institution          N.C. Correctional Institution for Women
P.O. Box 247                                P.O. Box 247
Phoenix, MD 21131                        Phoenix, MD 21131

IMPORTANT: The return address (at the top left of the envelope) must contain both the full first name and the full last name of the sender. Do not use initials. TextBehind will return mail that does not provide the sender's full first and last names.

The state’s prisons for women have been using TextBehind since February 2020.

Here’s how it works:

  • Offender mail is addressed and delivered to TextBehind.
  • TextBehind will make digital copies of the contents.
  • TextBehind will forward the digital files to the prison.
  • The prison will print acceptable pages and deliver them to the offender.

You may also download the TextBehind app to send mail by a smartphone or computer, avoiding paper mail sent via the U.S. Postal Service.

Offenders will continue to receive all acceptable contents of the mail you send — letters, photos, cards, artwork, etc. For more information about TextBehind, including a short video, click here.

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions.

TextBehind will not accept packages or legal mail. For more information on sending packages or legal mail, see the FAQs. You can also contact the prison where the offender is currently assigned.

All Prison facilities encourage family and friends to write to offenders. For security reasons, all incoming mail is checked to see if it contains any illegal or unauthorized items. Outgoing mail from offenders may also be checked.

Personal letters will not be read unless the officer-in-charge or designee has reason to believe the letter contains threats of harm or criminal activity, escape plans or plans to violate prison rules. If the officer-in-charge decides to delay or not deliver the letter to the offender, the offender will be told in writing the reason for this action.

Incoming mail from lawyers, any legal aid service assisting offenders, or state and federal court officials must be opened in the presence of the offender before it is checked for illegal or unauthorized items.

For information regarding sending money to offenders, ordering packages for offenders or about the offender telephone system, please click the links.

 

Overview

Tyrrell Prison Work Farm is a minimum-security prison for adult males located on 200 acres of land near Columbia.

The $9 million facility was the second prison work farm constructed in North Carolina. The first was the Dan River Prison Work Farm in Yanceyville. Both facilities, built by prison work crews, are designed to emphasize offender work.

The modern and unique architecture of this facility differs markedly from traditional prison structures and was designed to be built and maintained at less cost. The physical plant consists of an administration building, central complex buildings comprised of food service, staff offices, visiting area, clothes house and central control office, and produce warehouse. The dormitory is 60,000 square feet which contains 10 offender housing areas, 10 day rooms, two canteens, 10 shower and lavatory areas, medical and programs departments, barber shop, library, classroom, chaplain's office and two control rooms.