Tyrrell Prison Farm is a state work release facility in Columbia, NC, operating under the authority of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction. Work release is a supervised pre-release program - participants have been sentenced to state prison and are serving the final portion of their sentence while holding approved outside employment and returning to the facility each night. They remain in the legal custody of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction. This is not a standard prison and it is not parole. It is the bridge between incarceration and full release. Information on this page was last verified August 2026.
InmateAid has been helping families navigate state prison systems, work release, and reentry since 2012. Our founder served 66 months in federal custody. We know what the final stage of a long sentence feels like from the inside - and what families need to know to make it count. InmateAid holds a BBB A+ rating.
"My father served five years. Work release was the hardest part for our family because we could almost reach him but not quite. InmateAid helped us understand the rules and prepare for the day he actually came home."
-- A family member in North Carolina
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Work release participants remain in the custody of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction throughout the program. They will appear in the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction inmate search under their state DOC number. Use the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction online inmate locator or InmateAid's inmate locator to search by name across North Carolina facilities.
If your family member was recently transferred from a state prison to Tyrrell Prison Farm, allow 24 to 48 hours for the locator to update. Call Tyrrell Prison Farm at 252-796-1085 for direct confirmation. You can also verify their status and sentence details through public records and DOC case information.
Contact rules at state work release are governed by North Carolina Department of Adult Correction policy and the specific conditions at Tyrrell Prison Farm. Your family member may have more communication flexibility than at a standard state prison, but the rules still apply - unauthorized contact or contact that creates compliance issues can result in removal from the program.
During work hours, contact depends entirely on the conditions of their work release placement. Some North Carolina Department of Adult Correction programs permit contact via employer phone or personal device during breaks; others require all communication to route through the facility. Contact Tyrrell Prison Farm at 252-796-1085 to confirm what is permitted before attempting work-hours contact.
During facility hours:
During facility hours, calls go through the facility's contracted phone provider. Visit InmateAid's prison calls page to find the current provider for Tyrrell Prison Farm.
State work release facilities may offer more flexible visitation than standard state prisons, reflecting the pre-release nature of the program. However, visitation remains subject to North Carolina Department of Adult Correction policy and the individual conditions of your family member's work release placement.
Contact Tyrrell Prison Farm at 252-796-1085 to confirm current visiting hours, whether advance registration is required, and any conditions affecting visitation eligibility. Visitor registration requirements from the underlying state prison sentence may still apply - confirm whether previous visitor approvals carry over or whether you need to reapply. Read InmateAid's prison visitation guide for a full checklist.
Visits to NCDPS offenders are by appointment only. Call the prison where the offender is housed to schedule an appointment. Visitors should call the prison the day before a scheduled visit to confirm the facility's visitation status. Also, video visitation now is available at most but not all prisons, so family and friends may be able to do a virtual visit if they prefer. Call the prison for additional information on video visitation at the facility.
Visitation by family and friends is encouraged and can make a positive difference during an offender's time in prison. Prison staff understand the importance of offenders maintaining contact with their family and friends. However, offenders can not be assigned to specific facilities within the prison system for the convenience of visitation.
For more information regarding prisons and visitation, please read the Handbook for Family and Friends of Offenders.
The increased safety and security measures are implemented to address, and ultimately eliminate, the introduction of contraband into state prisons. Any refusal to comply with all search procedures will result in the denial of entrance into the facility. Cell phones are considered contraband and are prohibited from all prison facilities. Appropriate attire is required.
Work release participants remain on the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction system for commissary and financial accounts. Use the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction's approved deposit method - the same system used throughout their state prison sentence.
Steps to send money to Tyrrell Prison Farm:
1. Go to InmateAid's send money page to confirm the approved deposit method for this facility
2. Have your family member's full legal name and North Carolina Department of Adult Correction inmate number ready - the DOC number, not an old county booking number
3. Choose online deposit, phone deposit, or facility kiosk
4. Use the name and DOC number exactly as they appear in the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction system
Note: your family member is also earning wages at their work placement during this period. Ask the facility about how outside earnings interact with the DOC account, any deductions for supervision fees or restitution, and what funds are available for their use.
Tyrrell Prison Farm accepts incoming mail addressed to your family member at 620 Snell Rd. Include their full legal name and North Carolina Department of Adult Correction inmate number on every piece. State work release mail rules follow North Carolina Department of Adult Correction standards - plain white paper, no staples, no glitter, no stickers, no colored ink. Photos in standard print size with nothing written on the back.
InmateAid's send mail service prints and mails on approved stock from your phone or computer. Formatting rejection is not a risk.
Books and magazines must come from the publisher or an online retailer, not from your home address. Order through Amazon or directly from the publisher.
State work release is a supervised program under North Carolina Department of Adult Correction authority. The conditions that govern it are set by North Carolina Department of Adult Correction policy and the individual terms of your family member's placement. Violations have serious consequences - removal from work release and return to state prison, potentially with additional time added to the sentence depending on North Carolina law.
As a family member, understanding these rules is not just helpful - it is protective. Families who create compliance situations for work release participants, even unintentionally, can contribute to a violation.
Curfew: Your family member must return to Tyrrell Prison Farm by the designated curfew each night. Do not plan visits, family dinners, or any activities that could delay their return. A missed curfew is a violation regardless of the reason. If an emergency makes the curfew impossible, your family member must contact the facility immediately - before the curfew time, not after.
Drug and alcohol testing: Random testing is standard throughout North Carolina Department of Adult Correction work release. Complete abstinence from alcohol and non-prescribed controlled substances is required. Be aware of common false-positive risks including certain foods, non-alcoholic beer, mouthwash, and some medications. Your family member should disclose all prescribed medications to facility staff proactively.
Approved contacts and locations: Your family member's employer, daily route, approved contacts, and any stops between work and the facility may all require North Carolina Department of Adult Correction approval. Do not ask them to run errands, visit people not on their approved list, or deviate from their approved route without facility authorization.
Employment: Maintaining approved employment is a condition of the program. Loss of employment must be reported to Tyrrell Prison Farm immediately. The facility will work with your family member through an employment coordinator to find replacement work, but unauthorized gaps are violations.
If you have questions about specific conditions of your family member's placement, contact Tyrrell Prison Farm at 252-796-1085 or the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction directly.
Release from state work release involves either completion of the full sentence or release to parole supervision - and for most state inmates who have served significant time, parole supervision follows release. That means the end of work release is not the end of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction's involvement.
Parole supervision: If your family member will be released to parole, they will be assigned a parole officer in North Carolina who supervises their compliance with release conditions. Those conditions may include regular check-ins, geographic restrictions, employment requirements, drug testing, and prohibitions on contact with certain people or places. Read InmateAid's parole and probation guide for a breakdown of how parole supervision works in North Carolina and what families can expect.
Reentry preparation - start now:
Stable housing: A confirmed release address is required before final release in most states. If housing is uncertain, connect with North Carolina reentry resources now. Transitional housing options may be available through North Carolina Department of Adult Correction or nonprofit reentry organizations.
Documentation: Confirm that a state ID or driver's license, Social Security card, and birth certificate are available or in process. Without identification, employment, banking, and housing are all blocked from day one.
Employment continuity: The job held during work release is the ideal starting point for post-release employment. Support that continuity wherever possible.
Financial foundation: Work release wages, minus deductions for supervision fees and restitution, are the beginning of a post-release financial foundation. Help your family member plan from the start.
Read InmateAid's reentry guide for a comprehensive checklist covering every dimension of the North Carolina release process.
North Carolina Department of Adult Correction work release rules, supervision conditions, parole eligibility, and reentry resources all vary by North Carolina policy. InmateAid's North Carolina prison resources hub covers all of it - written specifically for families navigating the North Carolina system through to the end.
Have a specific question from someone who has been through the North Carolina system? Browse answers at InmateAid North Carolina Q&A.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tyrrell Prison Farm
What is state work release and how is it different from parole?
State work release is a supervised pre-release program within the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction system. Your family member is still in DOC custody, still subject to DOC rules, and still serving their sentence. Parole is what follows release - supervised freedom in the community with a parole officer. Work release is the step before parole or end of sentence, not a form of release itself.
Does my family member's North Carolina Department of Adult Correction inmate number change at work release?
No. The North Carolina Department of Adult Correction inmate number assigned at intake stays the same throughout the sentence including work release. Use that number - not any county booking number - for money deposits, mail, and facility correspondence.
Can my family member have a cell phone at state work release?
Cell phone policies at state work release are governed by North Carolina Department of Adult Correction policy and vary by facility. Contact Tyrrell Prison Farm at 252-796-1085 to confirm whether personal devices are permitted and under what conditions.
What happens to my family member if they violate work release conditions?
Violations of work release conditions can result in removal from the program and return to state prison. The North Carolina Department of Adult Correction retains full authority over work release placement and can revoke it. Time spent in work release may or may not count toward sentence completion depending on North Carolina law and the nature of the violation. Contact Tyrrell Prison Farm at 252-796-1085 for information about specific conditions and consequences.
Will my family member go to parole after work release?
Most people completing state sentences transition to parole supervision after release unless they have maxed out their sentence. Contact Tyrrell Prison Farm or the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction directly to confirm your family member's release structure - parole eligible, determinate end of sentence, or other. InmateAid's parole guide covers North Carolina-specific parole supervision conditions and what to expect.
How do we start preparing for life after release now?
The work release period is the ideal time to start reentry preparation. Confirm a release address, support employment continuity, begin the documentation process for any ID that is not yet in hand, and read InmateAid's reentry guide for a full North Carolina-specific checklist. The families who start preparing during work release have meaningfully better outcomes than those who wait until release day.
A state sentence is a long road. Work release is the last mile. The rules still apply - the curfew, the drug testing, the approved contacts - and a violation this close to the end is a real loss that nobody wants to face. But this is also the time when everything you and your family member have been working toward starts to take shape. The job, the housing plan, the documents, the first days after release - they are not hypothetical anymore. They are decisions being made right now.
InmateAid was built for the whole road. We are here at the end of it too.