U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons Program Statement OPI: OGC NUMBER: 1210.21 DATE: 3/9/2000 SUBJECT: Boards of Inquiry and Inquiry Teams 1. PURPOSE AND SCOPE. To establish procedures for the creation and operations of Boards of Inquiry and Inquiry Teams to investigate the facts and circumstances of any incident or situation for such purposes as: # ascertaining and reporting facts and circumstances, # gathering and preserving evidence and records, # determining the cause or causes, and # recommending corrective steps as may be indicated in policy, regulation, and practice. Only the Director may create a Board of Inquiry, and only a Regional Director or Warden (with Regional Director approval) may create an Inquiry Team. The focus of a Board of Inquiry is to determine the facts of an incident the Director deems significant or unusual enough to warrant a special and higher level of review. When employee misconduct may have occurred, clearance must be received from the Chief, Office of Internal Affairs (OIA), prior to the appointment of any regional or local Inquiry Team. OIA must investigate any incident when employee misconduct may have occurred to ensure protection of employee rights and preservation of evidence. To accomplish this objective, an OIA staff member is to serve as a member of a Board of Inquiry when staff misconduct may be involved. Any allegations of violations of law must be reported by the Bureau's Office of Internal Affairs, to the Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General (OIG) prior to the creation of a Board of Inquiry or Inquiry Team. EFTA00028723