Title 28—Judicial Administration--Volume 1
PART 513—ACCESS TO RECORDS
§ 513.10   Purpose and scope.
This subpart describes the procedures to be followed by an inmate who requests a copy of his or her FBI identification record or National Crime Information Center Interstate Identification Index (NCIC/III) record and references the procedures to follow in order to challenge the contents of such record.
§ 513.11   Procedures for requesting a FBI identification record or a NCIC/III record.
(a) FBI identification record. (1) An inmate may request a copy of his or her current FBI identification record directly from the FBI by following the procedure outlined in 28 CFR 16.30 through 16.34.
(i) Bureau of Prisons staff shall assist the inmate to obtain the fingerprint impressions required to be submitted with such an application.
(ii) The inmate may direct that funds be withdrawn from his or her institution account to pay the applicable fee.
(2) An inmate may request a copy of his or her FBI identification record from institution staff.
(i) If the requested FBI identification record is in the inmate's institution file, staff shall provide the inmate with a copy.
(ii) If the requested FBI identification record is not in the inmate's institution file, staff shall direct the inmate to the procedure referenced in paragraph (a)(1) of this section.
(b) NCIC/III identification record. An inmate who wishes to obtain a copy of his or her NCIC/III record must submit a written request to the FBI. The procedures outlined in 28 CFR 16.32, 16.33, and paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (ii) of this section apply to such request.
§ 513.12   Inmate request for record clarification.
Where the inmate believes that his or her FBI identification record is incorrect or inaccurate, the inmate may follow procedures outlined in 28 CFR 16.34. The procedures in 28 CFR 16.34 also apply for the clarification of an inmate's NCIC/III record.
§ 513.20   Release of information to law enforcement agencies.
(a) The Bureau of Prisons will provide to the head of any law enforcement agency of a state or of a unit of local government in a state information on federal prisoners who have been convicted of felony offenses and who are confined at a residential community treatment center located in the geographical area in which the requesting agency has jurisdiction. Law enforcement personnel interested in obtaining this information must forward a written request to the appropriate Regional Community Programs Administrator (see 28 CFR part 503 for the mailing address). The type of information that the Bureau of Prisons may provide is set forth in 18 U.S.C. 4082(f). That information includes: names, dates of birth, FBI numbers, nature of the offenses against the United States, fingerprints, photographs, and the designated community treatment centers, with prospective dates of release.
(b) Any law enforcement agency which receives information under this rule may not disseminate such information outside of such agency. If an agency disseminates information contrary to this restriction, the Bureau of Prisons may terminate or suspend release of information to that agency.
§ 513.30   Purpose and scope.
This subpart establishes procedures for the release of requested records in possession of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (“Bureau”). It is intended to implement provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552, and the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. 552a, and to supplement Department of Justice (DOJ) regulations concerning the production or disclosure of records or information, 28 CFR part 16.
§ 513.31   Limitations.
(a) Social Security Numbers. As of September 27, 1975, Social Security Numbers may not be used in their entirety as a method of identification for any Bureau record system, unless such use is authorized by statute or by regulation adopted prior to January 1, 1975.
(b) Employee records. Access and amendment of employee personnel records under the Privacy Act are governed by Office of Personnel Management regulations published in 5 CFR part 297 and by Department of Justice regulations published in 28 CFR part 16.
§ 513.32   Guidelines for disclosure.
The Bureau provides for the disclosure of agency information pursuant to applicable laws, e.g. the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552), and the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a).
§ 513.33   Production of records in court.
Bureau records are often sought by subpoena, court order, or other court demand, in connection with court proceedings. The Attorney General has directed that these records may not be produced in court without the approval of the Attorney General or his or her designee. The guidelines are set forth in 28 CFR part 16, subpart B.
§ 513.34   Protection of individual privacy—disclosure of records to third parties.
(a) Information that concerns an individual and is contained in a system of records maintained by the Bureau shall not be disclosed to any person, or to another agency except under the provisions of the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. 552a, the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, and Departmental regulations.
(b) Lists of Bureau inmates shall not be disclosed.
§ 513.35   Accounting/nonaccounting of disclosures to third parties.
Accounting/nonaccounting of disclosures to third parties shall be made in accordance with Department of Justice regulations contained in 28 CFR 16.52.
§ 513.36   Government contractors.
(a) No Bureau component may contract for the operation of a record system by or on behalf of the Bureau without the express written approval of the Director or the Director's designee.
(b) Any contract which is approved shall contain the standard contract requirements promulgated by the General Services Administration (GSA) to ensure compliance with the requirements imposed by the Privacy Act. The contracting component shall have the responsibility to ensure that the contractor complies with the contract requirements relating to privacy.
§ 513.40   Inmate access to Inmate Central File.
Inmates are encouraged to use the simple access procedures described in this section to review disclosable records maintained in his or her Inmate Central File, rather than the FOIA procedures described in §§ 513.60 through 513.68 of this subpart. Disclosable records in the Inmate Central File include, but are not limited to, documents relating to the inmate's sentence, detainer, participation in Bureau programs such as the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program, classification data, parole information, mail, visits, property, conduct, work, release processing, and general correspondence. This information is available without filing a FOIA request. If any information is withheld from the inmate, staff will provide the inmate with a general description of that information and also will notify the inmate that he or she may file a FOIA request.
(a) Inmate review of his or her Inmate Central File. An inmate may at any time request to review all disclosable portions of his or her Inmate Central File by submitting a request to a staff member designated by the Warden. Staff are to acknowledge the request and schedule the inmate, as promptly as is practical, for a review of the file at a time which will not disrupt institution operations.
(b) Procedures for inmate review of his or her Inmate Central File. (1) Prior to the inmate's review of the file, staff are to remove the Privacy Folder which contains documents withheld from disclosure pursuant to § 513.32.
(2) During the file review, the inmate is to be under direct and constant supervision by staff. The staff member monitoring the review shall enter the date of the inmate's file review on the Inmate Activity Record and initial the entry. Staff shall ask the inmate to initial the entry also, and if the inmate refuses to do so, shall enter a notation to that effect.
(3) Staff shall advise the inmate if there are documents withheld from disclosure and, if so, shall advise the inmate of the inmate's right under the provisions of § 513.61 to make a FOIA request for the withheld documents.
§ 513.41   Inmate access to Inmate Central File in connection with parole hearings.
A parole-eligible inmate (an inmate who is currently serving a sentence for an offense committed prior to November 1, 1987) may review disclosable portions of the Inmate Central File prior to the inmate's parole hearing, under the general procedures set forth in § 513.40. In addition, the following guidelines apply:
(a) A parole-eligible inmate may request to review his or her Inmate Central File by submitting the appropriate Parole Commission form. This form ordinarily shall be available to each eligible inmate within five work days after a list of eligible inmates is prepared.
(b) Bureau staff ordinarily shall schedule an eligible inmate for a requested Inmate Central File review within seven work days of the request after the inmate has been scheduled for a parole hearing. A reasonable extension of time is permitted for documents which have been provided (prior to the inmate's request) to originating agencies for clearance, or which are otherwise not available at the institution.
(c) A report received from another agency which is determined to be nondisclosable (see § 513.40(b)) will be summarized by that agency, in accordance with Parole Commission regulations. Bureau staff shall place the summary in the appropriate disclosable section of the Inmate Central File. The original report (or portion which is summarized in another document) will be placed in the portion of the Privacy File for Joint Use by the Bureau and the Parole Commission.
(d) Bureau documents which are determined to be nondisclosable to the inmate will be summarized for the inmate's review. A copy of the summary will be placed in the disclosable section of the Inmate Central File. The document from which the summary is taken will be placed in the Joint Use Section of the Privacy Folder. Nondisclosable documents not summarized for the inmate's review are not available to the Parole Commission and are placed in a nondisclosable section of the Inmate Central File.
(e) When no response regarding disclosure has been received from an originating agency in time for inmate review prior to the parole hearing, Bureau staff are to inform the Parole Commission Hearing Examiner.
§ 513.42   Inmate access to medical records.
(a) Except for the limitations of paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section, an inmate may review records from his or her medical file (including dental records) by submitting a request to a staff member designated by the Warden.
(b) Laboratory reports which contain only scientific testing results and which contain no staff evaluation or opinion (such as Standard Form 514A, Urinalysis) are ordinarily disclosable. Lab results of HIV testing may be reviewed by the inmate. However, an inmate may not retain a copy of his or her test results while the inmate is confined in a Bureau facility or a Community Corrections Center. A copy of an inmate's HIV test results may be forwarded to a third party outside the institution and chosen by the inmate, provided that the inmate gives written authorization for the disclosure.
(c) Medical records containing subjective evaluations and opinions of medical staff relating to the inmate's care and treatment will be provided to the inmate only after the staff review required by paragraph (d) of this section. These records include, but are not limited to, outpatient notes, consultation reports, narrative summaries or reports by a specialist, operative reports by the physician, summaries by specialists as the result of laboratory analysis, or in-patient progress reports.
(d) Prior to release to the inmate, records described in paragraph (c) of this section shall be reviewed by staff to determine if the release of this information would present a harm to either the inmate or other individuals. Any records determined not to present a harm will be released to the inmate at the conclusion of the review by staff. If any records are determined by staff not to be releasable based upon the presence of harm, the inmate will be so advised in writing and provided the address of the agency component to which the inmate may address a formal request for the withheld records. An accounting of any medical records will be maintained in the inmate's medical file.
§ 513.43   Inmate access to certain Bureau Program Statements.
Inmates are encouraged to use the simple local access procedures described in this section to review certain Bureau Program Statements, rather than the FOIA procedures described in §§ 513.60 through 513.68 of this subpart.
(a) For a current Bureau Program Statement containing rules (regulations published in the Federal Register and codified in 28 CFR), local access is available through the institution law library.
(b) For a current Bureau Program Statement not containing rules (regulations published in the Federal Register and codified in 28 CFR), inmates may request that it be placed in the institution law library. Placement of a requested Program Statement in the law library is within the discretion of the Warden, based upon local institution conditions.
(c) Inmates are responsible for the costs of making personal copies of any Program Statements maintained in the institution law library. For copies of Program Statements obtained under the FOIA procedures described in §§ 513.60 through 513.68 of this subpart, fees will be calculated in accordance with 28 CFR 16.10.
§ 513.44   Fees for copies of Inmate Central File and Medical Records.
Within a reasonable time after a request, Bureau staff are to provide an inmate personal copies of requested disclosable documents maintained in the Inmate Central File and Medical Record. Fees for the copies are to be calculated in accordance with 28 CFR 16.10.
§ 513.50   Privacy Act requests by inmates.
Because inmate records are exempt from disclosure under the Privacy Act (see 28 CFR 16.97), inmate requests for records under the Privacy Act will be processed in accordance with the FOIA. See §§ 513.61 through 513.68.
§ 513.60   Freedom of Information Act requests.
Requests for any Bureau record (including Program Statements and Operations Memoranda) ordinarily shall be processed pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552. Such a request must be made in writing and addressed to the Director, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 320 First Street, NW., Washington, D.C. 20534. The requester shall clearly mark on the face of the letter and the envelope “FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST,” and shall clearly describe the records sought. See §§ 513.61 through 513.63 for additional requirements.
§ 513.61   Freedom of Information Act requests by inmates.
(a) Inmates are encouraged to use the simple access procedures described in § 513.40 to review disclosable records maintained in his or her Inmate Central File.
(b) An inmate may make a request for access to documents in his or her Inmate Central File or Medical File (including documents which have been withheld from disclosure during the inmate's review of his or her Inmate Central File pursuant to § 513.40) and/or other documents concerning the inmate which are not contained in the Inmate Central File or Medical File. Staff shall process such a request pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552.
(c) The inmate requester shall clearly mark on the face of the letter and on the envelope “FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST”, and shall clearly describe the records sought, including the approximate dates covered by the record. An inmate making such a request must provide his or her full name, current address, date and place of birth. In addition, if the inmate requests documents to be sent to a third party, the inmate must provide with the request an example of his or her signature, which must be verified and dated within three (3) months of the date of the request.
§ 513.62   Freedom of Information Act requests by former inmates.
Former federal inmates may request copies of their Bureau records by writing to the Director, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 320 First Street, NW., Washington, D.C. 20534. Such requests shall be processed pursuant to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. The request must be clearly marked on the face of the letter and on the envelope “FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST”, and must describe the record sought, including the approximate dates covered by the record. A former inmate making such a request must provide his or her full name, current address, date and place of birth. In addition, the requester must provide with the request an example of his or her signature, which must be either notarized or sworn under penalty of perjury, and dated within three (3) months of the date of the request.
§ 513.63   Freedom of Information Act requests on behalf of an inmate or former inmate.
A request for records concerning an inmate or former inmate made by an authorized representative of that inmate or former inmate will be treated as in § 513.61, on receipt of the inmate's or former inmate's written authorization. This authorization must be dated within three (3) months of the date of the request letter. Identification data, as listed in 28 CFR 16.41, must be provided.
§ 513.64   Acknowledgment of Freedom of Information Act requests.
(a) All requests for records under the Freedom of Information Act received by the FOI/PA Administrator, Office of General Counsel, will be reviewed and may be forwarded to the appropriate Regional Office for proper handling. Requests for records located at a Bureau facility other than the Central Office or Regional Office may be referred to the appropriate staff at that facility for proper handling.
(b) The requester shall be notified of the status of his or her request by the office with final responsibility for processing the request.
§ 513.65   Review of documents for Freedom of Information Act requests.
If a document is deemed to contain information exempt from disclosure, any reasonably segregable portion of the record shall be provided to the requester after deletion of the exempt portions. If documents, or portions of documents, in an Inmate Central File have been determined to be nondisclosable by institution staff but are later released by Regional or Central Office staff pursuant to a request under this section, appropriate instructions will be given to the institution to move those documents, or portions, from the Inmate Privacy Folder into the disclosable section of the Inmate Central File.
§ 513.66   Denials and appeals of Freedom of Information Act requests.
If a request made pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act is denied in whole or in part, a denial letter must be issued and signed by the Director or his or her designee, and shall state the basis for denial under § 513.32. The requester who has been denied such access shall be advised that he or she may appeal that decision to the Office of Information and Privacy, U.S. Department of Justice, Suite 570, Flag Building, Washington, D.C. 20530. Both the envelope and the letter of appeal itself should be clearly marked: “Freedom of Information Act Appeal.”
§ 513.67   Fees for Freedom of Information Act requests.
Fees for copies of records disclosed under the FOIA, including fees for a requester's own records, may be charged in accordance with Department of Justice regulations contained in 28 CFR 16.10.
§ 513.68   Time limits for responses to Freedom of Information Act requests.
Consistent with sound administrative practice and the provisions of 28 CFR 16.1, the Bureau strives to comply with the time limits set forth in the Freedom of Information Act.