The North Carolina Department of Adult Correction is starting to wind down operations at Craggy Correctional Center near Asheville and plans to close the prison late this summer. Officials cite persistent recruiting and retention problems, driven in part by Asheville’s steep housing costs, that have left the facility running with only a fraction of its usual staff. Roughly 250 incarcerated men will be moved to other state prisons, and the site’s 77 employees will be offered positions at other state facilities, according to the department.
Agency Cites High Living Costs, Staffing Shortfalls
In a press release via the NC Department of Adult Correction, the agency said that "Asheville’s high cost of living has made it difficult to recruit and retain employees who cannot afford to live in the county" and noted that Craggy has operated at less than half its full offender population since 2024. The department said Craggy shut down its minimum-security unit in 2019 and converted the rest of the facility from medium to minimum custody, which cut staffing needs. Even so, the release states the prison managed to hire only three correctional officers over the past two years.
What Happens To Staff And People Inside
As reported by WLOS, the department does not expect to lay off the 77 employees at Craggy and plans to offer them positions at other NCDAC facilities or work locations across western North Carolina. The station reports that about 250 men housed at Craggy will be gradually transferred to other state prisons over the coming months. WLOS also notes that most current staff already commute from surrounding counties with lower housing costs, a pattern the department highlighted as a key factor in the decision to close the facility.
This Mirrors A Broader Staffing Crunch
Craggy’s closure tracks with a larger staffing crisis in North Carolina’s prison system. According to NC Health News, the Department of Adult Correction faces a shortfall of about 4,700 correctional officers, which translates to roughly a 49 percent gap between current staffing and what the agency says it needs to fully cover posts. That reporting notes the shortage has forced the state to lean heavily on overtime, contract security and temporary bed closures at multiple facilities. Officials point to low starting pay and regional housing pressures as the main hurdles to recruiting and retaining staff.
Local Footprint And Next Steps
Craggy has operated vocational and reentry programs and in recent years consolidated operations with Buncombe Correctional Center, according to the department’s facility profile, which details the center’s programs and capacities. The agency says people housed at Craggy will be transferred to other facilities over the next few months and that staff will be offered positions at other locations across western North Carolina as vacancies allow. The department’s release also includes a press contact for media seeking details on the closure timeline and transfer process.
