The Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice has named Ralph Prince as the new warden of the Wilkes Correctional Center in North Wilkesboro.
Prince, 48, had been the associate warden at the prison since 2018.
“Warden Prince is an outstanding correctional professional with decades of institutional knowledge,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons. “He is a welcome addition to our rank of wardens, who work day in and day out to keep our staff, offenders and the public safe.”
In his new position, Prince is responsible for all operations at the prison, which is a minimum custody facility for adult male offenders. The facility emphasizes programs to improve offenders and to prepare them for success when they return to their communities.
The facility offers work release jobs and jobs within the prison, including food service, janitorial, landscaping, maintenance and canteen positions, as well as substance abuse group therapy meetings, transitional services, father’s accountability and Bible studies.
The facility also offers education programs in conjunction with Wilkes Community College for the high school equivalency test, basic computer skills, Thinking for a Change, Charter Education & Ethics and college correspondence classes.
A veteran employee to state government, Prince has spent his 26-year career at Wilkes Correctional Center. He started as a correctional officer in 1994 and progressed through the ranks as correctional sergeant, lieutenant and associate warden.
He has been a member of the Prisons Emergency Response Team, as well as the Special Operations Target Interdiction Team.
He holds an associate degree in criminal justice from Wilkes Community College. He has graduated from Basic Law Enforcement Training, PEAK performance training, and obtained an Advanced Criminal Justice Certificate.