Matt Novak: I just did a search looking for an email address where I can file a new FOIA with Unicor, the government-owned company that sells goods made from U.S. prison labor, and discovered they sell a special folder to keep documents exempt from FOIA requests. What a country.

I just did a search looking for an email address where I can file a new FOIA with Unicor, the government-owned company that sells goods made from U.S. prison labor, and discovered they sell a special folder to keep documents exempt from FOIA requests. What a country.

Previous reporting I've done on federal agencies buying goods made from prison labor:

ICE Loves to Buy Furniture Made With Prison Labor, Documents Showgizmodo.com In the past two years, ICE has purchased tens of thousands of dollars in furniture and other goods from inmates making $0.23 to $1.15 per hour, according to invoices obtained by Gizmodo via FOIA.

Other state agencies purchase furniture from prison industries

In college it was my understanding that our (state) university was *only* allowed to buy prison goods. You had to prove prison industries doesn't make the thing you need, or at least that their product was clearly worse and more expensive, before you could buy it somewhere else.

Yes that’s how I remember it.

cool system. gonna just spray paint "WARRANT EXEMPT" on my garage door, and the cops will just show up and shrug

NGL, I would absolutely break into that garage. Not to steal anything, just curiosity.

MORE THAN FIVE DOLLARS A PIECE

The ink on those things must be sprinkled with real gold

They’re selling to the government, charge whatever you feel like

So, g-d help me I'm about to sound like a unicor shill, but that looks like it's specifically for the BOP prisoner central files, and there's are materials in there that are unequivocally FOIA exempt and would endanger lives if accidentally released. (My practice is 1/2 FOIA, 1/2 prisoners rights)

I'm not saying there aren't documents that can be properly withheld, I just think it's jarring when you remember these are people making slave wages producing goods that could be used to improperly hide information about their own conditions. BOP is one of the worst FOIA offices in my experience.

Oh, absolutely. I've sued them many times over it. But I guess it's no more jarring to me than the existence of unicor at all. I get those files in discovery, and for whatever else I can say about the BOP, and I can say a lot, I can't say I've once ever seen that used improperly.

Well that’s good to know. I appreciate you sharing your insights on this!

FOIA and the BOP is my sweet spot! I'll talk about it for hours. Much to the dismay of any of my fellow party guests! (Search Nakie and UNICOR for some serious UNICOR rage material)

Jesus. This case?

Seventh Correctional Officer at Federal Facility in Dublin, California, Sentenced to Prison for Sexual Abuse of Female Prisonerswww.justice.gov A former correctional officer at the Federal Correctional Institution Dublin (FCI Dublin), where he supervised prisoners, was sentenced to 72 months in prison for sexually abusing five inmates at FCI ...

It's a white folder with writing on the front. I really hope there's more to their FOIA compliance than "pick the right color folders."

I'm guessing they also sell a special round can for non-exempt FOIA requests.

I mean, if you believe in the FOIA Exempt fairy dust, then maybe you're willing to pay $5 for a folder?

This needs to be a shirt lol

Or a website domain. 😉

I wonder if IRE can buy the bulk quantity and give them to members at the next conference

That would be very funny

So that's where they keep the JFK files

You're not fooling me; this is a Philip K Dick story. Oh wait, maybe it was Kafka...

Going to get this for my collection of The Cure set lists

I don’t understand. The folder just has files of redacted text?

No, it’s presumably for filing things that should be completely off limits for any potential FOIA requests that might come in.

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