Lee Correctional Prison Overview
Lee Correctional Institution is the state prison physically located in Lee County at 990 Wisacky Highway, Bishopville, SC 29010. It is operated by the South Carolina Department of Corrections, usually shortened to SCDC. That custody status is the key fact for inmate lookup. People held at Lee Correctional Institution are sentenced state prisoners, not new county arrestees waiting for a first appearance at the regional jail. A person may have passed through Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center earlier in the criminal process, but once SCDC receives the person, the county jail roster is no longer the main search system.
SCDC's institution listing identifies Lee Correctional Institution as a male close and medium custody institution opened in 1993. The SCDC page also lists Warden Shane Jackson and describes education, vocational training, prison industries, and health-care services. Education programs include literacy, GED preparation, high school courses, and college correspondence. Vocational programs include electrical, carpentry, welding, and brick masonry. Prison industries include recycling projects for a private sector company and manufacturing apparel, mattresses, and pillows for institutional use. Health care includes routine medical and dental care, 24-hour medical coverage, a licensed infirmary, and area mental health care.
The SCDC institutions page lists Lee Correctional Institution with its address, custody level, programs, health-care notes, and institution details.
That institution listing is the best starting source for the facility's state-prison role and for distinguishing it from the Lee County regional jail custody path.
Lee Correctional Inmate Population
Lee Correctional Institution has facility-specific population figures in SCDC PREA audit materials. The newer PREA Cycle 4 report lists designed capacity at 1,254, current population at 1,081, and a 12-month average daily population of 1,079 at audit. It also says the facility had no over-capacity point during that 12-month period. The same report lists a male population age range of 19 to 87 and custody levels described as minimum, medium, and close. SCDC's public institution page uses the close and medium custody label, so both descriptions should be read as SCDC custody-classification context rather than county jail housing terms.
A prior PREA Cycle 3 report listed total capacity at 1,670 and population at 1,291 on the audit day. That earlier figure is useful for historical comparison, but the newer Cycle 4 report is the better current facility statistic in the research file. SCDC's statewide overview adds scale: the department operates 21 prisons with about 16,000 inmates and about 4,500 employees. Lee Correctional Institution is one facility inside that state network, not a Lee County jail annex.
| Source | Population Figure | How to Use It |
|---|---|---|
| PREA Cycle 4 | 1,081 current; 1,079 12-month ADP | Use as the current audit-backed prison count. |
| PREA Cycle 4 | 1,254 designed capacity | Use as the current designed-capacity figure. |
| PREA Cycle 3 | 1,291 population; 1,670 capacity | Use only as historical comparison. |
Lee Correctional Inmate Lookup
Use the SCDC incarcerated inmate search for Lee Correctional Institution. The Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center roster is for current jail custody, pretrial detainees, and regional jail holds. It is not the lookup system for sentenced prisoners housed at Lee Correctional Institution. If a court sentence has sent a person to SCDC, or if the person is already serving a South Carolina prison term, search SCDC by number or name and then verify the institution shown on the result.
- Open the SCDC incarcerated inmate search form.
- Search by SCDC ID or SID if known because number searches are more exact.
- If no number is known, enter first and last name, then use phonetic match when spelling is uncertain.
- Review the result for the active institution, sentence details, status, and identifying information.
- Call the SCDC toll-free inmate information line at 1-866-727-2846 when the locator result conflicts with family or court information.
| SCDC Search Field | Required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SCDC ID | Optional | Best exact search when the prison number is known. |
| SID | Optional | State Identification number. |
| First Name | Optional if using ID or SID | Use the legal name on prison records. |
| Last Name | Optional if using ID or SID | Name spelling matters. |
| Phonetic Match | No | Helps with spelling variants. |
SCDC also provides a released-inmate search with date range and county dropdown fields, including Lee. For custody notifications rather than a one-time search, South Carolina VINE is available statewide. The SCDC disclaimer says the internet locator and toll-free line are public services, but SCDC does not guarantee reliability and asks that data errors or discrepancies be reported to Ombudsman@doc.sc.gov.
Lee Correctional Contact
Contact Lee Correctional Institution for facility-specific prison questions such as location verification, approved visiting status, mail procedures, and general institution routing. Use SCDC family services for statewide family-policy topics. Do not call Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center for routine state-prison visitation or money questions unless the person is still in jail custody and has not transferred to SCDC.
Lee Correctional Institution
990 Wisacky Highway
Bishopville, SC 29010
803-896-2400 or 803-428-2800
SCDC male close/medium custody institution.
SCDC Family Services
Statewide family information
South Carolina Department of Corrections
803-896-8500
Visitation, mail, phone, money, packages, and inmate search topics.
Lee Correctional Visits
Lee Correctional Institution visitation follows SCDC family and institution rules, not the Sumter-Lee jail pod schedule. State prison visitation normally requires visitor approval, compliance with SCDC identification and conduct rules, and scheduling under the institution's current process. The research file did not provide a day-by-day Lee Correctional visiting table from the institution itself, so no local visit hours should be invented. Family members should use the SCDC family page and call the prison or SCDC family services before traveling to Bishopville.
State-prison visits differ from jail visits because the person is serving a sentence in SCDC custody. A county jail visit often turns on a pod schedule and short-term housing unit. A prison visit turns on approved visitor lists, current custody level, discipline status, institution operations, and SCDC system rules. Visitors should expect screening, dress rules, property limits, and possible schedule changes.
| Visit Step | Who Controls It | Lee Correctional Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Visitor approval | SCDC | Confirm approval before making travel plans. |
| Scheduling | SCDC and institution | Use current SCDC family guidance and facility instructions. |
| Identification | SCDC and facility staff | Bring valid ID and follow entry rules. |
| Institution status | Lee Correctional Institution | Operations or custody status can affect visits. |
The SCDC family services page is the statewide source for visitation, mail, phone, money, packages, inmate search, and family contact topics.
Because Lee Correctional Institution is a state prison, that statewide SCDC family guidance is more relevant than the county jail visitation schedule.
Lee Correctional Mail and Money
Mail, telephone access, money deposits, and packages for Lee Correctional Institution follow SCDC family policies. The research file identifies the SCDC family page as the source for these topics but does not give a Lee-specific deposit fee schedule. For that reason, the fee table should not claim a dollar amount. Families should use SCDC's current family page or call SCDC family services at 803-896-8500 before sending funds or packages. Institution rules can change, and state prison mail is screened under prison policy.
The most important custody distinction is the payee and system. A county jail kiosk or Access Corrections jail deposit process for Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center is not the correct assumption for an SCDC prisoner. State prison funds, phone access, and packages must follow SCDC rules and approved vendors or procedures. If a person was recently sentenced, wait until the SCDC locator shows the receiving institution or call SCDC before sending money.
| Service | State-Prison Source | Documented Fee |
|---|---|---|
| SCDC family policies and facility rules | No Lee-specific fee listed in research. | |
| Telephone | SCDC family telephone guidance | No Lee-specific rate listed in research. |
| Money deposits | SCDC family money guidance | No Lee-specific deposit fee listed in research. |
| Packages | SCDC family package guidance | Use current SCDC rules before ordering. |
Note: Do not use the county jail deposit rules for a prisoner already received by SCDC.
Lee Correctional Intake
Lee Correctional Institution intake is not street-arrest booking. A county or city arrest starts with law enforcement, booking, and court. A prison admission starts after sentencing, transfer, classification, or return to SCDC custody. The person may be processed first at a jail such as Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center, appear in court, receive a sentence, and then move into the SCDC system. Once SCDC custody begins, the SCDC locator becomes the controlling public search tool.
Classification is the prison process that helps assign custody level, housing, programs, security restrictions, and institution placement. Lee Correctional Institution's materials and PREA report describe minimum, medium, and close custody references, while SCDC's institution page lists close and medium male custody. A family member should avoid assuming that a county charge, jail bond, or jail housing unit carries over after prison transfer. Prison status follows SCDC records, sentence data, disciplinary status, and institutional assignment.
Lee Correctional Programs
SCDC lists several programs and services at Lee Correctional Institution. Education includes literacy, GED preparation, high school coursework, and college correspondence. Vocational training includes electrical, carpentry, welding, and brick masonry. Industry work includes recycling projects for a private sector company and the manufacture of apparel, mattresses, and pillows for institutional use. The health-care entry lists routine medical and dental care, 24-hour medical coverage, a licensed infirmary, and area mental health care.
- SCDC
- The South Carolina Department of Corrections, the state agency for sentenced prisoners.
- Close Custody
- A higher security classification than general medium custody, based on SCDC rules and risk factors.
- ADP
- Average daily population, a count that smooths daily changes over a set period.
- PREA Audit
- A Prison Rape Elimination Act review that can include facility capacity and population data.
Programs can depend on custody status, conduct, staffing, availability, and current SCDC placement rules. A listing confirms that a program is associated with the institution, but it does not guarantee that a specific prisoner is enrolled or eligible. Use SCDC records and the institution's current guidance for individual program questions.