Morrison Training School

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Morrison Training School
Established 1923
Opened 1925
Closed 1977 (as a juvenile facility)
Current Status Demolished
Building Style Cottage Plan
Location Hoffman, NC
Alternate Names
  • State Training School for Negro Boys
  • Cameron Morrison School
  • Morrison Youth Institution
  • Morrison Correctional Institution (Current)




History[edit]

Morrison's history began in 1923 when lawmakers authorized the State Training School for Negro Boys at Hoffman. Construction work was started in 1924 and the facility opened in 1925 housing eight youth. In 1939, the name was changed to Morrison Training School in honor of Governor Cameron Morrison. The name was changed again in 1969 to Cameron Morrison School.

The training school closed and the facility reopened as a prison in 1977. Morrison and Sandhills Youth Center were organized as the Sandhills Youth Complex. In 1978, three of Morrison's dormitories were converted to house 100 women inmates. The Sandhills Youth Complex was then composed of Sandhills Youth Center, Cameron Morrison Youth Center and Cameron Morrison Youth Center for Females.

In 1983, the Sandhills Youth Complex was dissolved. The following year, the women inmates were moved to Fountain Correctional Center for Women. Minimum custody males then moved into the Auman and Edwards dorms left vacant by the women inmates. Three wings in Newsome dormitory were left vacant because of poor physical conditions. (Newsome dorm and an administrative building were renovated in 1989 to house the state's first boot camp program.) In October 1988, Cameron Morrison Youth Center's name was changed to Morrison Youth Institution.

Lawmakers provided funding for the building of a 208 bed dormitory and a 20-cell segregation unit to be added at Morrison as part of the $87.5 million prison construction program authorized in 1993. Ground was broken May 4, 1994 for a chapel funded with money raised by prison volunteers.

From 1988 to 2002, Morrison Youth Institution served as a medium security prison for young male felons, 18 to 21 years of age. In January 2002, Morrison was converted to a medium security for adult males, and renamed Morrison Correctional Institution, to help meet the state's growing need for adult male prison bed space. The youth inmates transferred to other youth prison facilities. In July 2002, Impact East was closed and was reopened in June 2003 to house minimum security youthful offenders.

The prison is located on a 175 acre tract. Medium inmates are housed in Aggrey, Bost, and Johnson dormitories. Minimum inmates are housed in Edwards, Jenkins, Auman and Newsome dormitories. It also has an administration building, two schools, a gym, two clothes houses and two dining halls as well as a 20 single cell unit for medium inmates and a 12 single cell unit for minimum inmates.

Inmates attend school with instruction provided by Prisons teachers and Richmond Community College instructors. The prison provides vocational classes in brick masonry, electric service, industrial maintenance, upholstery, cooking school and office practices. Classes for adult education, preparation for the GED tests and college courses are available. Courses on life skills and substance abuse are also offered.