The New Hanover County Detention Facility is in Castle Hayne, North Carolina. ICE’s 2026 inspection report identifies New Hanover County as owner and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office as operator. ICE’s fiscal year 2026 detention statistics list it as “NEW HANOVER COUNTY JAIL.”
Facility quick reference
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Facility name | New Hanover County Detention Facility |
| Operator | New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office |
| Street address | 3950 JUVENILE RD |
| City, State, ZIP | Castle Hayne, NC 28429 |
| Jail phone | 910-798-4200 |
| How ICE uses it | ICE uses this facility through a U.S. Marshals Service intergovernmental agreement — the jail’s agreement is with the Marshals, and ICE houses people there under it. |
| ERO field office | Atlanta Field Office |
| ICE detainee locator | locator.ice.gov |
| Last verified | 2026-10-23 |
ADP = average daily population; ALOS = average length of stay, both FY2026 averages (not a same-day count). Source: ICE Detention Management, FY2026 (released 2026-07-20).
How to find someone held here
ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System is ICE’s resource for locating a person in detention.
The Sheriff’s Detention Division page lists 910-798-4200 for that division. As of October 23, 2026, the Sheriff’s facility pages publish no inmate-search link.
Visiting
The Sheriff’s Detention Division page, read October 23, 2026, contains conflicting rules:
- One passage says visitation is by appointment only, must be scheduled by the inmate, and runs between 1 and 9 pm daily. It allows a 45-minute visitation twice per week, with up to two adult guests; a guest under 18 must be accompanied by an adult, and all visitors must provide approved photo identification on arrival.
- The same page limits housing units F, H, J, K, L, M, N and S to one visitor per visit, and says units Q, R and T will only be allowed one visitor per time slot because of smaller visitation rooms.
- A separate “Inmate Visitation” passage says only one visit per week per inmate, bars anyone under 18 from visitation rooms, and lists 45-minute visits at 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, and 9 pm.
The published passages do not establish which frequency or minor-access rule applies now. The page lists the Detention Division at 910-798-4200.
Money, phone calls and mail
Deposits. The Sheriff’s page directs online deposits to McDaniel Supply Company. Mailed money orders must be payable to New Hanover County, with the inmate’s name in the “memo” section; otherwise they will be placed in the inmate’s property. Cash must be deposited through the automated kiosk in the facility’s front lobby.
Mail. The section headed “Beginning December 1, 2025” gives this address:
(Inmate's Name)
(Inmate’s ID number)
New Hanover County Detention Facility
P.O. Box 591
Longview, TX 75606
The page’s NCIC mail standards require the inmate’s name, ID number and a return address. It says only mail “8.5 inches x 11 inches tall” is accepted; mail must contain no more than 5 pages and is scanned on the front side only. Mail over 5 pages or with writing on the back is returned to sender. Only one photo per mailing is permitted; if there is more than one, the entire letter is returned.
Conflicting publication instructions. The scanning section excludes books, magazines, newspapers, legal and medical mail and directs those items to the facility under its mailing procedures. The next passage says books are no longer accepted as of December 1, 2025 and any publications sent to the facility are held in the inmate’s property until release. Another passage allows magazines and soft-cover books only if purchased directly from the publisher and parcel-delivered to the Facility. These statements conflict on book acceptance.
As of October 23, 2026, the Sheriff’s page publishes no phone-calling procedure.
Oversight and inspections
ICE’s 2026 ODO report describes an inspection from February 3 to March 5, 2026, including an on-site visit on March 3, 2026. It applied USMS Federal Performance Based Detention Standards (FPBDS) (May 2025) and found no deficiencies.
The August 20 to 22, 2024 special review assessed 10 NDS 2019 standards and found three deficiencies in three standards: no pre-employment medical examinations for food-service staff; training records that did not show initial or annual training to recognize hunger strikes and implement medical referral and management procedures for some staff reviewed; and records that did not show annual refresher training in comprehensive suicide prevention for some staff reviewed. ODO identified the suicide-prevention item as a priority component.
The May 23 to 25, 2023 special review assessed 11 NDS 2000 standards and 1 NDS 2019 standard and found 28 deficiencies across 7 standards.
Reporting sexual abuse. The Sheriff’s PREA page says third parties may report on behalf of an inmate to the PREA Coordinator’s confidential mailbox at 910-798-4246, where messages may be left anonymously, or to NHSO at 910-798-4162.
Related resources
- All ICE detention facilities
- All facilities under the Atlanta Field Office
- Know your rights
- Find an immigration attorney
Last verified: 2026-10-23
General information, not legal advice. Deposit, visiting, phone and mail arrangements are set by the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office and its vendors and can change at any time; details above were checked against the Sheriff’s and county’s own pages and ICE’s published documents on October 23, 2026. The jail’s own current instructions take precedence over this page. For a specific case, contact a licensed immigration attorney or a BIA-accredited representative.