Records Retention and Destruction

Idaho
Department
of Correction Standard
Operating
Procedure
Title:
Records Retention and Destruction

1 of 9
108.002
Version:
1
Adopted:
02/19/2026

Kim Brown, Chief of the Division of Management Services, approved this
document and it was published on 02/19/2026.
Open to the public: Yes No
SCOPE
This standard operating procedure (SOP) applies to all records created, received,
maintained, and held, in all formats, by Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC)
staff, in the course of carrying out their functions.
Version Summary
Version 1: This is a new SOP. It integrates and replaces Policy 119, Records
Retention and Destruction.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Scope ......................................................................................................... 1
Table of Contents ......................................................................................... 1
A. Statutory Authority ............................................................................... 2
B. Board of Correction IDAPA Rule .............................................................. 2
C. Governing Policy Statement ................................................................... 2
D. Purpose .............................................................................................. 2
E. Responsibility ....................................................................................... 3
F. Definitions .......................................................................................... 3
G. Standard Procedures ............................................................................ 4
1. Types of Records ............................................................................... 4
2. IDOC Records Retention Schedule ........................................................ 5
3. Records Retention Periods ................................................................... 6
4. Storage ............................................................................................ 6
5. Transfer of Records to Offsite Storage/State Records Center .................... 7
6. Security and Access ........................................................................... 7
7. Disposal ........................................................................................... 7
7. Legal Holds, Audits, and Investigations ................................................. 8
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8. Annual Review .................................................................................. 8
9. Transfers to the Idaho State Archives ................................................... 8
10. Records Retention Schedule Review .................................................. 8
11. Training & Compliance ..................................................................... 8
H. References ......................................................................................... 8

A. STATUTORY AUTHORITY
Idaho Code Title 74, Chapter 1, Public Records Act
B. BOARD OF CORRECTION IDAPA RULE
IDAPA 06.01.01.108, Idaho Public Records Act
C. GOVERNING POLICY STATEMENT
1. It is the policy of the Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) to establish a
records retention schedule and records management procedures to provide
guidance to IDOC staff regarding the retention and destruction of documents
related to the operation of the agency.
2. Public records are defined in Idaho Code § 74-101 as “any writing containing
information relating to the conduct or administration of the public’s business
prepared, owned, used or retained by any state agency, independent public
body corporate and politic or local agency regardless of physical form or
characteristics.”
3. Idaho code defines public records very broadly. The law also recognizes,
however, that public records thus defined vary a great deal in their significance
and usefulness. Therefore, a written standard operating procedure (SOP) that
establishes records management guidelines, practices, and procedures is
necessary.
D. PURPOSE
1. The purpose of the SOP is to establish record management guidelines,
practices, and procedures. This SOP implements a process for defining,
classifying, and describing the records IDOC has in its possession and identifies
the methods by which the agency must retain, safeguard, and discard its
records that have served their identified purpose.
2. Supersedes any previous retention period procedures
a. If any existing IDOC Policy, SOP, form and/or any other policy related
document includes a retention period that differs from this SOP, staff must
follow this SOP. This SOP supersedes those prior retention periods.
b. Any conflicts between this SOP and other SOPs must be resolved by:
i. Defaulting to this SOP, and
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ii. Notifying the Records Information Team if clarification is needed.
c. No record may be destroyed unless authorized under this SOP retention
schedule.
d. When uncertain, retain the record until confirmation is obtained from the
Records Information Team.
E. RESPONSIBILITY
1. Transparency Team
The Transparency Manager and Records Information Team are responsible for
overseeing and monitoring the provisions provided herein.
2. Records Custodian
Manage and oversee compliance with record retention requirements in each
division or unit. Coordinate all transfers of records to offsite storage, including
State Records center through the Records Information team.
3. Supervisors/Managers
Ensure staff follow procedures and complete required retention or destruction
documentation. Ensure staff do not transfer records to the State Records
Center without prior review and approval from the Records Information Team.
4. Records Information Team
Maintain SOP, offer guidance, conduct audits, and process disposal approvals.
Serve as the coordinating authority for all transfers to and inventory oversight
of records stored at the State Records Center.
5. Legal Team
Review and approve records on legal hold and advise on records involved in
litigation.
6. IT Services Team
Ensure IT systems support retention, legal holds, and secure deletion. Maintain
metadata/audit logs.
F. DEFINITIONS
1. Client: A person who has been convicted of a crime against the laws of the
state and is on probation supervision as ordered by the court or parole
supervision as ordered by the Commission of Pardons and Parole. The term
client includes any use in Idaho law, Board of Correction rule, or IDOC policy or
procedure of the terms “offender(s),” or any other term referring to a person on
probation or parole supervision by the Board of Correction.
2. Destruction: Secure disposal of a record after the retention period has expired
and no legal hold is in place.
3. Electronic Record: Any record created, stored, or received in digital format.
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Includes emails, databases, scanned documents, etc.
4. Facility: A building or residence—including the property and land where the
building or residence is located—owned, leased, operated, or managed by the
Board or Department.
5. Idaho State Archives (ISA): A secure, long-term storage location for a
permanent or historical record, which may be physical or electronic.
6. State Records Center: An approved offsite records storage facility used for
the temporary storage and management of Idaho Department of Correction
records that remain subject to retention, access, and disposition.
7. Litigation Hold: A directive to preserve a record that may be relevant to
litigation or investigations.
8. Permanent Record: A record that must be retained indefinitely due to
historical, legal, or administrative value.
9. Public Records: A public record, as defined in Idaho Code Title 74-
101, “includes, but is not limited to, any writing containing information relating
to the conduct or administration of the public’s business prepared, owned, used
or retained by any state agency, independent public body corporate and politic
or local agency regardless of physical form or characteristics.” 
10. Records Custodian: An individual designated by each division or unit to
manage and oversee compliance with records retention requirements.
11. Records Disposition: The final action taken on a record, such as
transfer to archives, destruction, or permanent retention.
12. Resident: A person who has been convicted of a crime against the laws
of the state and ordered into the care and custody of the Board of Correction.
Resident includes any use in Idaho law, Board of Correction rule, or IDOC policy
or procedure of the terms “offender(s),” “prisoner(s)”, “inmate(s)”,
“incarcerated person(s)”, or any other term referring to a person residing in a
correctional facility in the care and custody of the Board of Correction.
13. Writing: “Writing” includes, but is not limited to, handwriting,
typewriting, printing, photostating, photographing and every means of
recording, including letters, words, pictures, sounds or symbols or combination
thereof, and all papers, maps, magnetic or paper tapes, photographic films and
prints, magnetic or punched cards, discs, drums and other documents.
G. STANDARD PROCEDURES
1. Types of Records
a. Resident/Client Records
Records specific to a Resident/Client to document their behavior, activities,
program participation in a regular, on-going systematic manner. Resident
records include but are not limited to court documents, risk assessment,
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treatment program information, education, discipline and grievance records.
Client Records include but are not limited to conditions of supervision, report
of violations, drug testing results, treatment, programming, and progress
reports.
b. Facility Records
Records maintained at a facility that pertain to the day-to-day business
operations of the facility. Facility records include but are not limited to field
memoranda and post orders, count sheets, visitation logs, audits, resident
concern forms, security logs, investigations, and food service.
c. Business Administration and Operation Records
Records that pertain to the day-to-day business operations of the
department. Department business administration and operation records
include but are not limited to board meeting minutes, legislation, contracts,
fiscal and budget information, purchasing records, correspondence,
personnel records, policies and standard operating procedures,
investigations, facility audits, program information, and program audits.
2. IDOC Records Retention Schedule
a. The IDOC Records Retention Schedule serves as the department’s legal
authority to retain, safeguard, and discard records that have served their
identified purpose.
b. The IDOC Records Retention Schedule includes all of the types of records
created and used by the agency in the course of its business and indicates
how long these records are required to be retained.
c. The IDOC Records Retention Schedule applies to the original record in the
office of record.
d. IDOC Records Retention Schedule codes:
AC After closed, terminated, completed, expired, settled, or last
date of contract.
AV Until no longer administratively valuable
CE Calendar Year End (December 31)
FE Fiscal Year End (June 30)
LA Life of Asset
PM Permanent
US Until Superseded
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e. IDOC Records Retention Schedule headings definitions:
Series Group # A series group number is a unique identifier for a
record type.
Series Description
A general description given to a group of similar
records that are arranged according to a filing
system.
Office of Record
Office that is designated for the maintenance,
preservation, and disposition of an original
record.
Retention Period, Code
& Transfer Instruction
(By Year)
The length of time a record should be kept. See
above for a detailed list of codes.
Archival (A,R)
A: Indicates the record is or may be permanent
and have historic value.
R: Indicates a required review by the Records
Information team to determine value.
Vital (X) X: Record is vital for immediate operation of the
office of origin or the institution.
Guidance Authority
Federal and State laws, regulations or
requirements that pertain to the services. Where
not specifically referenced, Idaho Code § 74-101
through § 74-126 have been applied.
3. Records Retention Periods
a. Retention periods should be applied in a media-neutral manner; records
must be maintained for the prescribed period regardless of format or storage
media.
b. The retention periods within the retention schedule will reflect the longer of
the legal and operational value of the records. The justification for the
retention periods, legal or operational, including relevant legal citations are
documented in the IDOC Records Retention Schedule.
4. Storage
a. Stored records must be protected from physical harm or loss, organized, and
indexed so they are available for retrieval.
b. Electronic records must be stored in secure designated systems (e.g. central
files, Atlas, or SharePoint)
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c. Physical records must be stored in locked, secure areas with access logs.
5. Transfer of Records to Offsite Storage/State Records Center
All Transfers of department records to offsite storage, including the State
Records Center, must be coordinated through the Records Information Team.
Divisions, units, and facilities are not authorized to independently transfer
records to offsite storage without prior review and approval.
6. Security and Access
Appropriate levels of security must be maintained to prevent the unauthorized
or unlawful use and disclosure of information.
7. Disposal
When a record reaches the end of its retention period, a decision must be made
on its disposal, with three possible outcomes:
a. Reappraisal
Before action is taken to permanently preserve or destroy a record at the
end of its retention period, a reappraisal of any need to retain it for present
functions should be undertaken.
b. Permanent Preservation
Some agency records are retained permanently. Records whose continued
preservation is justified by enduring legal or historic value must not be
destroyed and should be assessed for transfer to the Idaho State Archives.
c. Destruction
i. Destruction must be carried out in a way that takes full account of the
confidentiality of the record.
ii. Agency records that are to be destroyed must be authorized by law and
SOP and be disposed of with care to avoid inadvertent disclosure of
information to unauthorized parties. The records destroyed, the
destruction process, and certification of ultimate destruction must be
recorded in the Records Destruction Log, located in a centralized
SharePoint site, and consistent with the IDOC Records Retention
Schedule and accompanying guidance.
iii. When an entire paper file or archived box is to be destroyed, the whole
file or box must be destroyed in line with the requirements of the most
sensitive document it contains.
iv. When disposing of digital records, it is vital that all the various locations
that a file could be stored are considered. These include information that
may be stored in:
1) Agency shared files
2) Cloud supplies whose services are provided by the agency (e.g.
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Google Drive, OneDrive, Laserfiche)
3) Individual devices such as laptops, hard drives, and USB sticks,
whether agency owned or personally owned
v. Staff with access to digital records that are being deleted should ensure
that any copies held anywhere in their email folders, hard disk drives,
and recycle bin are also deleted.
7. Legal Holds, Audits, and Investigations
a. The Records Information Team supervisor (or designee) will give notice to
the relevant record custodian(s) identifying specific records subject to a legal
hold for purposes of litigation, audit, or formal investigation.
i. Upon notice of litigation, audit, or formal investigation, the records
custodian(s) must immediately cease destruction any records identified
for a hold.
ii. The records custodian(s) must receive notice from the Records
Information Team supervisor (or designee) that the hold is lifted before
proceeding with destruction of the identified records.
b. Records subject to legal hold must be preserved in their entirety and
maintained until cleared by the Legal Team.
8. Annual Review
Records custodians, along with the Records Information Team will conduct an
annual review of active/inactive records and identify records eligible for
destruction or transfer to archive.
9. Transfers to the Idaho State Archives
Permanent or archival-designated records are prepared and transferred per ISA
Instructions. Use ISA Transfer Form and ensure metadata accuracy.
10. Records Retention Schedule Review
The IDOC Records Retention Schedule will be reviewed periodically to
determine the impact of legal changes upon retention periods.
11. Training & Compliance
All staff responsible for records must complete annual training on records
retention policies and procedures.
H. REFERENCES
1. Forms
a. Records Destruction Log (template)
b. Records Retention Schedule
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2. Cited Documents
a. ISA Transfer Procedures [https://history.idaho.gov/wp-
content/uploads/2018/08/ISA_Records_TransferProcedures_2013.pdf]
b. ISA Transfer Form [https://history.idaho.gov/wp-
content/uploads/2018/08/ISA_TransferForm_2013.pdf]
3. Other Significant Documents
a. Idaho Criminal Rule 32, Presentence Investigations and Reports
[https://isc.idaho.gov/icr32]
b. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)
[https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/index.html]
c. State of Idaho Records Manual [https://history.idaho.gov/document/state-
of-idaho-records-manual/]
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