Central Prison is a prison operated by the North Carolina Department of Correction in Raleigh, North Carolina. The prison, west of Downtown Raleigh, is on 29 acres (12 ha) of land and is bounded by a double wire fence with a razor ribbon on top. The Department of Correction describes the original building as "castle-like."Funding for the Central Prison was authorized during reconstruction by the North Carolina General Assembly of 1868-1869.