Dedicated in May 1924 by the Buncombe County Commissioners, Craggy was one of 51 county prisons for which the state assumed responsibility with the passage of the Conner bill in 1931. It was one of 61 prisons renovated or built during the late 1930's to house inmates who worked building roads. The new prison, located about three miles from the old site, opened in May 1989. The prison has three 104 bed dormitories and seven support buildings. Craggy was the first state prison to install an electronic detection system in the prison security fence to alert staff to attempted escapes.
Inmates work with professional staff and peer counselors.
DART relies heavily on the principles of Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous with group meetings available in the evenings. Inmates may also earn a two year degree in business administration. Classes for adult education and preparation for the GED tests are also available. Still operating in the old prison is a Correction Enterprise laundry. Eight Enterprise employees supervise 52 inmates who wash daily about 36 loads, with each load containing 200 sets of inmate uniforms, in six industrial sized machines.