Exemptions & Redactions

The Freedom of Information Act applies to all information and records with strictly limited exceptions. Most BOP Program Statements (policies) are included on this website, except those categorized as Limited Official Use Only and a few that are not of sufficient public interest.

Some material in Program Statements may be "redacted" or withheld. Redacted material is indicated in the text by a bold number in brackets; e.g.,[§552(b)(2)]. The number refers to one of the FOIA exemptions.

FOIA Exemptions:

• [§552(b)(1)]Information properly classified as secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy
• [§552(b)(2)]Related solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of an agency
• [§552(b)(3)]Information specifically prohibited from release by other statutes
• [§552(b)(4)]Trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person that is privileged or confidential
• [§552(b)(5)]Inter-agency or intra-agency memorandums or letters which would not be available by law to a party other than an agency in litigation with the agency
• [§552(b)(6)]Personnel and medical files and similar files, the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy
• [§552(b)(7)]Information compiled for law enforcement purposes, under certain conditions
• [§552(b)(8)]Contained in or related to examination, operating, or condition reports concerning financial institutions
• [§552(b)(9)]Geological and geophysical information and data, including maps, concerning oil wells

In addition to the FOIA Exceptions there are FOIA Exclusions that protect certain especially sensitive law enforcement matters.