BOP Program Statement 1240.06 § 2

a. Disposal. The action taken regarding temporary records after their retention periods expire

and consisting usually of destruction/deletion. On rare occasions, with permission, records may

be donated (36 C.F.R § 1226.26).

c. Disposition Authority. The legal approval empowering an agency to transfer permanent

records to the National Archives or to carry out the disposal of temporary records. Note: “Legal

approval” comes at the point at which an authority, the Standard Form (SF)-115, Request for

Records Disposition Authority, is signed by the Archivist of the United States, not when it is first

submitted to NARA.

d. File Plan. A structured guide that outlines the classification, series, and organization of all

records associated with a specific program or business function.

e. Frozen Records (Record Hold). Temporary records are held for litigation, investigation, or

audit purposes. Frozen records can be destroyed only after completion of litigation, audit, or

investigation and notification from the appropriate authority.

f. General Records Schedules (GRS). A GRS is issued by the Archivist of the United States

under the authority of 44 U.S.C § 3303a (d) to provide disposition authority for records common

to several or all federal agencies. The GRS cover records documenting administrative functions

rather than program functions. Agencies must apply the GRS to the greatest extent possible.

g. Lifecycle. The management concept that records pass through three stages:

creation, maintenance and use, and disposition.

h. Off-Site Storage Facility. The Bureau’s off-site storage facility is currently Iron Mountain.

i. Permanent Record. Record appraised by NARA as having sufficient historical or other

1240.06 3/19/2026 PROPERTY OF US GOVERNMENT 2

value to warrant continued preservation by the federal government beyond the time it is needed

for administrative, legal, or fiscal purposes.

j. Record. “Includes all recorded information, regardless of form or characteristics, made or

received by a federal agency under federal law or in connection with the transaction of public

business and preserved or appropriate for preservation by that agency or its legitimate successor

as evidence of the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other

activities of the United States Government or because of the informational value of data in them”

(44 U.S.C. § 3301).

k. Record Custodian. Federal records custodians are responsible for ensuring all federal

records within the Bureau are created, maintained, and disposed of according to the Bureau's

authorized record and information disposition schedules (RIDS).

l. Records Management. The planning, controlling, directing, organizing, training, promoting,

and other managerial activities related to the creation, maintenance and use, and disposition of

records, carried out in such a way as to achieve adequate and proper documentation of federal

policies and transactions, and effective and economical management of agency operations.

m. Records Schedule. A records schedule has a NARA-approved, legally binding document

that provides mandatory instructions for the retention and disposition of federal records. It

identifies records as temporary or permanent, defines how long to keep them, and dictates when

to destroy or transfer them. There are two types of schedules: agency-specific schedules tailored

for unique agency records or General Record Schedules (GRS) issued by NARA for common

administrative, or housekeeping records.

n. Temporary Record. Record approved by NARA for disposal after a specified retention

period.

o. Transfer. A SF-135, Records Transmittal and Receipt form is required to process record

transfer from institutions to Iron Mountain.

p. Unscheduled Records. The improper removal of records without NARA approval or the

willful or accidental destruction of records without regard to a NARA approved records

schedule. Unauthorized disposition of federal records is against the law and punishable by up to

$250,000 in fines and imprisonment (44 U.S.C. § 3106 and 18 U.S.C. § 2071).