The Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice has named Michael Parsons as the new warden of Randolph Correctional Center in Asheboro.
Parsons, a 21-year veteran of the state prison system, had been associate warden for custody and operations at Southern Correctional Institution in Troy since 2020.
"Warden Parsons has demonstrated an aptitude for leadership that will serve him well in his new role," said Interim Commissioner of Prisons Brandeshawn Harris. "He is dedicated both to secure, orderly procedures and to our ongoing mission of rehabilitation. The staff and offenders of Randolph Correctional are in excellent hands."
Randolph Correctional Center is a minimum-security prison for around 225 adult males. As a designated re-entry facility, it prepares offenders for re-entry into their communities.
As warden, Parsons will be in charge of the entirety of operations at Randolph. He began his career as a correctional officer at Southern Correctional in 2001 and was promoted through the ranks --sergeant in 2006, lieutenant in 2010 and captain in 2014 before entering prison administration in 2020. He holds an Advanced Correctional Certificate from the N.C. Criminal Justice Standards Commission and is a certified General Instructor. He has completed PEAK Performance Leadership training.
Randolph Correctional was one of 51 county prisons for which the state assumed responsibility in 1931. It was one of 61 field unit prisons renovated or built during the late 1930s to house offenders who worked building roads.
The original prison dormitory continues to house offenders. A new dormitory and a recreation building were opened in 1988.
The prison has a dental clinic that serves offenders in Prisons' South Central, Central and Western Regions. It also has 68 beds designated as Long Term Care for offenders who are not ready to be housed in the general population because of medical problems.
Randolph Community College works with the prison to provide adult education and preparation for the GED test. Offenders may be assigned to work on regional maintenance or at various positions within the prison.