Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution Mailing and Street Address: 600 Amity Park Road, Spruce Pine, NC 28777Phone: (828) 765-0229Counties: Avery and MitchellOffender capacity: 816Facility type: Male, Medium Custody Visitation Information The Coronavirus pandemic has impacted visitation at all prison facilities. Review the latest restrictions before planning a visit. Learn how to protect yourself from the coronavirus. Visit the NCDHHS COVID-19 website. To learn what else Prisons is doing to combat coronavirus, click here. Directions Travel Interstate 40 West to Exit 86. Turn right off exit ramp onto 226 North. Continue north on 221/226 approximately 13 miles. Turn left on 226 North toward Spruce Pine. Travel 226 North to 19E North. Travel 19E North approximately 4 miles. Turn right on Amity Park Road. Facility is at the end of the road. 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 Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution is a medium security facility housing male offenders. It sits on a 100-acre tract of land beside the Avery and Mitchell County line. The prison is designed with three dormitory-style units, supported by a central administration building and 40 segregation cells. In 1992, a legislative study committee recommended building more efficient, larger prisons that would allow for the consolidation of small, older units. The General Assembly authorized construction of Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution in 1995. Watauga and Yancey correctional centers closed in late 1998 and early 1999. The prison's employees were assigned to work at Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution and nearby prisons. Avery Correctional Center continued to operate to house offenders working construction and cleanup until September 1999. The prison's three dormitories are named Avery, Watauga and Yancey for the three facilities that were consolidated. The prison cost $26.7 million to build. Offender assignments include Department of Transportation, as well as the prison's kitchen, clothes house, maintenance and janitorial positions. Offenders participate in the educational and vocational training offered through Mayland Community College.
Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution Mailing and Street Address: 600 Amity Park Road, Spruce Pine, NC 28777Phone: (828) 765-0229Counties: Avery and MitchellOffender capacity: 816Facility type: Male, Medium Custody Visitation Information The Coronavirus pandemic has impacted visitation at all prison facilities. Review the latest restrictions before planning a visit. Learn how to protect yourself from the coronavirus. Visit the NCDHHS COVID-19 website. To learn what else Prisons is doing to combat coronavirus, click here. Directions Travel Interstate 40 West to Exit 86. Turn right off exit ramp onto 226 North. Continue north on 221/226 approximately 13 miles. Turn left on 226 North toward Spruce Pine. Travel 226 North to 19E North. Travel 19E North approximately 4 miles. Turn right on Amity Park Road. Facility is at the end of the road. 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 Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution is a medium security facility housing male offenders. It sits on a 100-acre tract of land beside the Avery and Mitchell County line. The prison is designed with three dormitory-style units, supported by a central administration building and 40 segregation cells. In 1992, a legislative study committee recommended building more efficient, larger prisons that would allow for the consolidation of small, older units. The General Assembly authorized construction of Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution in 1995. Watauga and Yancey correctional centers closed in late 1998 and early 1999. The prison's employees were assigned to work at Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution and nearby prisons. Avery Correctional Center continued to operate to house offenders working construction and cleanup until September 1999. The prison's three dormitories are named Avery, Watauga and Yancey for the three facilities that were consolidated. The prison cost $26.7 million to build. Offender assignments include Department of Transportation, as well as the prison's kitchen, clothes house, maintenance and janitorial positions. Offenders participate in the educational and vocational training offered through Mayland Community College.
