RALEIGH --- the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice has named the first female warden in the history of Central Prison She is Denise Jackson, 55, who has been the warden at the Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women in Black Mountain since 2016.

“Warden Jackson is a remarkable leader with significant experience in close custody prisons,” said Commissioner of Prisons Todd Ishee. “She is security-minded and shows a genuine devotion to the safety of the staff and the well-being of the men and women in her care. Central Prison is in good hands with this historic appointment. She is outstanding.”

In her new position, Jackson is responsible for all operations at Central Prison, which is a male high security, close custody facility that has been in continuous service since 1884.

Her top priorities are to hire and retain high-quality staff while emphasizing programs for offenders and enhancing security as necessary at the prison.

Central Prison is a complex operation that houses many of the special populations within the prison system: Those with acute medical or mental health needs, many of the most violent offenders who require high levels of security, and those housed in Death Row.

Many educational and vocational training classes are offered so offenders learn skills and trades. A variety of self-improvement programs such as anger management, domestic violence, parenting, alcohol and drug treatment, critical thinking and more are offered to prepare offenders to succeed as productive members of society when they are released from prison.

A modern hospital opened at the prison in 2011 with operating rooms and a dialysis unit. The prison is also one of the largest mental health facilities in the state with multidisciplinary teams including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses and behavioral specialists providing mental health care.

Warden Jackson takes her new post on March 16.

A veteran employee to state government, Jackson began her career as a correctional officer at Marion Correctional Institution in 1994, where she also served in the roles of sergeant, assistant unit manager, unit manager, shift captain and special affairs captain.

More than two decades of her career were spent at Marion Correctional, which is a close custody facility that also houses minimum custody offenders. In fact, she helped open the prison.

A native of McDowell County, Jackson holds an advanced certificate in corrections and is a graduate of the Correctional Leadership Development Program and PEAK performance training.