Johnny Spearman named warden of New Hanover Correctional

Secretary of Adult Correction Todd Ishee has named Johnny Spearman to be the new warden of New Hanover Correctional Center.

Spearman previously served as the NC Department of Adult Correction's offender labor manager, coordinating offender jobs inside facilities, with Correction Enterprises, for state and municipal agencies and with private employers.

"Warden Spearman brings 28 years of experience as a correctional professional and leader to this position," Ishee said. "In particular, his management of offender labor will prove invaluable for a designated re-entry facility such as New Hanover Correctional, where opportunities for work are a key part of offender rehabilitation as preparation for rejoining their communities."

In his new position, Spearman is responsible for all operations at the male minimum-custody facility, which has a capacity of approximately 350 offenders. Around 140 offenders leave the facility daily to work for various employers in the surrounding community. As a designated re-entry facility, New Hanover Correctional offers numerous rehabilitative programs that prepare the offender for their eventual release.

A U.S. Army combat veteran, Spearman began his career in 1995 as a correctional officer at Pender Correctional Institution, where he supervised offenders working outside the facility and worked with vocational rehabilitative programs. He was promoted to case manager in 1999, began working with Community Corrections in 2006 and returned to Pender Correctional as a correctional programs supervisor in 2007.

He became the facility's program director in 2012, and in 2019 he began his role as DAC's offender labor manager.

Spearman studied criminal justice at James Sprunt Community College in Kenansville and at Mt. Olive College. He holds certifications in Advanced Corrections, Probation/Parole Officer and Probation/Parole Intermediate Supervision from the North Carolina Criminal Justice Training and Standards Commission.

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