New Hanover County Jail Roster
The New Hanover County Sheriff's Office operates the county jail roster through P2C, the public Sheriff-to-Citizen system. The official P2C Inmate Inquiry is the primary public lookup for current county jail inmates. It is built for present custody information, not a full criminal history. A result may show a booking charge and arrest date, while the full court record is maintained by the Clerk of Superior Court and searched through the NC eCourts Portal.
The Sheriff's Office and Detention Facility are at 3950 Juvenile Center Road in Castle Hayne. Sheriff Edward J. McMahon is the current sheriff. The Detention Division page says four squads supervise the inmate population, with a fifth squad handling transportation, classification, front desk, and logistics. Booking and intake are staffed 24 hours a day. The researched source describes an average inmate population of 569, one jail facility with 672 beds, and annual bookings averaging 6,000 to 7,000.
New Hanover County Adult Enhancement Services works with criminal-justice and court-involved adults.
Those programs may affect case progress or compliance, but jail custody status still comes from sheriff detention channels.
Search New Hanover County Inmates
The P2C roster works best when the searcher has a last name, first name, or enough identifying detail to avoid confusing two people with similar names. The public result grid is concise. It is meant to answer whether a person is currently listed in county custody and what primary charge appears in the roster. For bond status, court dates, and case disposition, compare the roster with court records or call the Detention Division.
- Open the P2C Inmate Inquiry and start with the last name. A first name can narrow common names.
- Review the result list for name, primary charge, arrest date, and booking agency.
- Compare the visible identity details before relying on a match, especially when names are common.
- Call the Sheriff's Office or Detention Division at 910-798-4200 when custody status, release, bond, or ID questions remain.
- Use Portal or the Clerk of Superior Court for the related court case, next hearing, and disposition.
State prison custody is separate. Once a person is transferred from New Hanover County detention to state custody, the county jail roster may no longer be the right source. NC SAVAN at 877-627-2826 can provide automated custody and sentence information such as inmate sentences and projected release dates.
The roster also should not be used as a background-check database. It is a current custody tool. If the person was released, moved to state prison, transferred for federal custody, or booked under a record that has since changed, P2C may not answer the full question. For a full criminal case timeline, compare the inmate record with Portal hearing and case records, then request local court copies from the Clerk of Superior Court when a certified record is needed.
New Hanover County Inmate Fields
The P2C Inmate Inquiry search form and page source show basic name fields plus filters that can help narrow a public roster search. The public grid shows fewer fields than a full jail-management system. Medical flags, housing details, booking photos, and security classifications may be absent or restricted.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Options / Format Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Name | Text | Optional | Basic search box. |
| Last Name | Text | Optional | Best practical filter for most searches. |
| Middle Name | Text/filter | Optional | Found in page source and filter fields. |
| Race | Dropdown/filter | Optional | Observed values included American Indian/Alaskan Native, Black, and White. |
| Sex | Dropdown/filter | Optional | Female and Male observed. |
| Age | Numeric/filter | Optional | Filter field found. |
| Booking Agency | Dropdown/filter | Optional | New Hanover So observed. |
| Result columns | Grid | n/a | Name, Primary Charge, Arrest Date, Booking Agency. |
North Carolina Recovery Courts are court programs, not jail roster databases.
Recovery court information can help explain local case options, but inmate custody must be checked through detention records.
New Hanover County Inmate Profile
A public New Hanover County inmate record is a limited custody snapshot. The research observed 476 results in the live P2C data on June 17, 2026. A visible-style entry included a name formatted as "ABNER, DAVID BRAMLETT (W /M/36)," a primary charge of "PROBATION VIOLATION (F)," an arrest date of "06/11/2026," and booking agency "New Hanover So." That sample shows the kind of public display, not a current status promise.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| book_id | Internal booking identifier in live roster data. |
| disp_name | Displayed inmate name and brief demographic style. |
| disp_charge / chrgdesc | Displayed primary charge or charge description. |
| disp_arrest_date | Arrest date shown in the roster. |
| disp_agency / agency | Booking or arresting agency, such as New Hanover So. |
| firstname, middlename, lastname | Name fields used by the roster and filters. |
| age, dob, sex, race | Identity fields in the public data inventory. |
| link_text | Roster link text used to open or identify a record. |
Public roster charge text is not the same as a conviction. A booking charge can change after review by the District Attorney, court filings, dismissal, reduction, plea, or trial. Related court charges can be checked through arrest records and charges, while full case outcomes belong in the criminal court file.
Roster users should read the booking agency field carefully. The observed booking agency value New Hanover So points to the Sheriff's Office, but a person may have been arrested by a municipal police department or another agency before entering the county detention process. The public roster may simplify that path into one booking agency field, while the court case may later show separate citation, warrant, arresting officer, prosecutor, and courtroom details.
New Hanover County Detention Facility
The Detention Division is the county custody point for the jail roster, visits, money, mail, intake, and basic inmate information. Families should use the Detention Facility contact for current jail questions and use the Clerk of Superior Court or Portal for court dates and case records. The sheriff records desk and P2C are the fallback path for sheriff records. County NextRequest is not the route for court records and does not process background checks.
New Hanover County Detention Facility
3950 Juvenile Center Road
Castle Hayne, NC 28429
910-798-4200
Booking and intake staffed 24 hours a day.
Mental Health Treatment Courts list New Hanover County District 6 as an operational program location.
Treatment court eligibility and detention status are different issues, but both can affect how a criminal case moves after booking.
New Hanover County Inmate Visits
Visitation is by appointment only and must be scheduled by the inmate. The sheriff page gives visitation hours between 1 PM and 9 PM daily, and the P2C FAQ lists exact times. Each visit is 45 minutes. Visitors should arrive at least 15 minutes early. Each inmate is allowed two 45-minute visits per week, with up to two adult guests per visit. Children count as visitors, and anyone under 18 must be with an adult. Valid picture ID is required.
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Scheduling | By appointment only and scheduled by the inmate. |
| Visit times | 1 PM, 2 PM, 3 PM, 7 PM, 8 PM, 9 PM. |
| Length | 45 minutes. |
| Frequency | Two visits per week per inmate; week begins Monday. |
| Visitors | Two visitors; children count; under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. |
| ID | Valid picture ID required. |
| Arrival | Arrive at least 15 minutes early. |
Dress rules are specific. P2C prohibits see-through clothing, tank tops, spaghetti straps, low-cut tops, tube tops, tops showing midriff, bathing suits, jeans showing underwear, and clothing with inappropriate pictures, logos, or words. Shorts and shirts must come to right above the knee, and shoes are required.
The inmate needs the visitor's full name, address, and date of birth to schedule the visit. That rule is important because visitors cannot treat the schedule as an open walk-in window. A visitor who arrives without a scheduled appointment, valid picture identification, or compliant clothing may be turned away even when the public visitation hours are otherwise open.
Inmate Mail and Money
Mail rules changed beginning December 1, 2025. Inmate mail should be addressed to the inmate's name and inmate ID number, New Hanover County Detention Facility, P.O. Box 591, Longview, TX 75606. All mail must include the inmate name, ID number, and return address. Only 8.5 x 11 inch mail is accepted, with no more than five pages. Mail is scanned front side only, and writing on the back can cause return to sender.
Returned items include greeting cards, card stock, colored paper, copied photographs, cash, stamps, stickers, blank paper, blank envelopes, and padded or bubble envelopes. The Detention Facility no longer accepts books as of December 1, 2025. Publications sent to the facility are placed in inmate property and returned at release. Legal or medical mail should follow facility procedures rather than the scanned-mail process.
- Money can be sent through the sheriff-linked McDaniel Supply Company's JailPackStore.
- Money orders mailed to an inmate must be payable to New Hanover County and include the inmate name in the memo.
- Cash can be deposited at the automated kiosk in the front lobby of the facility.
- Money dropped off for an inmate is credited the next business day.
- Securus Technologies is the contracted inmate phone provider at 1-800-844-6591.
Note: Public-facing sheriff pages reviewed did not provide a separate video-visitation price table, so no price should be assumed.
Inmate Records and Court Cases
The official New Hanover County Sheriff NC app appears in both Google Play and the Apple App Store. Store listings describe reporting crimes, submitting tips, using interactive features, and receiving public-safety news and information. The app is not for emergencies, and the research did not prove an app-only inmate search. Use it as a sheriff communication and tip channel, not as a substitute for the P2C jail roster or detention phone verification.
Families should also separate inmate contact tools from court communication. Securus handles inmate phone service, McDaniel Supply Company is tied to commissary money, and P2C handles public custody lookup. Court dates, certified court copies, and dispositions still go to the Clerk of Superior Court or Portal. Mixing those offices can slow down a release, visit, or copy request because each source controls a different part of the record.
For a custody status check after court, use the most direct source first. Portal may show that a case was heard, continued, dismissed, or sentenced, but it may not show whether jail staff processed release paperwork. P2C and the Detention Division answer the jail-status question, while the Clerk of Superior Court answers the court-record question.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina handles federal cases, not county jail roster entries.
Federal custody and federal criminal cases are separate from the county jail roster, even when the person has a Wilmington-area connection.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina describes the federal district that includes New Hanover County.
That federal source helps distinguish state charges, county detention, and federal prosecutions in the Wilmington area.
The EDNC Wilmington federal court location is also separate from the sheriff detention facility.
For a person in the New Hanover County Detention Facility, start with P2C and detention contacts before checking federal systems.