The Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice has named Chris Woods as the new warden at Hyde Correctional Institution in Swan Quarter.
He had been the associate warden for custody/operations at the prison since 2015.
“Warden Woods knows this prison inside and out with almost a quarter century of service in the same facility,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons. “He is a remarkably dedicated public servant and I’m glad to welcome him to our team of wardens who work so hard to protect the staff, the offenders, and our communities with caring and compassion.”
In his new position, Woods is responsible for all operations at the prison, which houses minimum custody male offenders.
He was born and raised in Hyde County and graduated from Mattamuskeet High School. He continues to live in the county.
One of Woods’ top priorities is to hire and retain high-quality staff.
“We have good jobs for people who are interested in a career in public service, who want to help to protect their communities,” he said. “These are important jobs I’m hiring.”
A veteran employee of state government, Woods began his career in 1997 as a correctional officer shortly after the prison opened.
He was promoted to sergeant in 2003, to lieutenant in 2006 and to captain in 2013. He was named associated warden for custody/operations in 2015.
During his career, he served as a mentor to many other correctional officers, a supervisor training advisor, PREA compliance manager, safety officer and offender grievance officer.
He received advanced supervisor training and is a certified general instructor for the Department of Public Safety, with specialties in the use of pepper spray and how to handle exposure to bloodborne pathogens. He has completed classes in team building, sharing gang intelligence and the use of the Incident Command System in emergencies.
His hobbies focus on sports. He is a diehard University of North Carolina Tar Heel fan.
Hyde Correctional Institution opened as a medium security institution for adult males in 1997. A minimum-security unit was added in 1999. In 2019, the facility was converted totally to a minimum-security facility.
The prison provides a variety of programs for offenders including Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Career Readiness, Anger Management, Reaching out from Within, Thinking for a Change, and Father Accountability.
In collaboration with Beaufort Community College, the facility provides classes in adult basic education, general education development, horticulture, and operating forklifts.