The NC Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice has named Roderick Watson as the new superintendent at Johnston Correctional Institution in Smithfield. Watson replaces Drew Stanley, who moved to Warren Correctional Institution.
Watson was the Assistant Superintendent for Custody and Operations at Maury Correctional Institution since 2014 prior to his promotion. He has been with the Department of Public Safety since 1993 after leaving the U.S. Air Force.
“Mr. Watson’s years of dedicated service and experience have prepared him for this opportunity,” said Director of Prisons Kenneth Lassiter.
Watson began his DPS career as a correctional officer at New Hanover Correctional Center in 1993. He transferred to the former Triangle Correctional Institution in Raleigh, but then transferred to Neuse Correctional Institution in Goldsboro after Triangle CI closed. He was promoted to correctional sergeant at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in 1997, where he received several more promotions before transferring to Maury CI in 2005 to assist with the facility’s opening. In 2013, Watson was promoted to Assistant Superintendent for Custody and Operations at Franklin Correctional Center in Bunn before his return to Maury Cl.
Watson attended Johnston Community College until joining the Air Force in 1984. He attended Community College of the Air Force and served during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. He received an honorable discharge in September of 1992.
Johnston Correctional Institution currently houses approximately 615 male inmates in minimum custody.
