FamilySearch Indexing (Idaho Department of Correction)

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Idaho Public Records Act, I hereby request the following records:

Policies, procedures and/or documents pertaining to indexing for FamilySearch, otherwise known as Intellectual Reserve, Inc., a genealogical non-profit operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) by inmates within facilities run by the Idaho Department of Correction, including the Pocatello Women's Correctional Facility. This includes any documents regarding Family History Centers operated within such facilities, and any documents referencing LDS Correctional Services, a division of LDS.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 3 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Burkely Hermann

Ms. Mabe,
Thanks for your response and fulfilling the request.. Looking back at my records, there were some articles that seemed to say that FamilySearch had programs in jails and prisons in Idaho, one specifically focusing on the Pocatello Women’s Correctional Center, although many of the articles are a few years old. [1] So, that's why I made my request in the first place, so this definitely helps as it allows me to narrow down my search going forward. Thanks for sending the links as well. So, you are saying that the religious volunteers are the "custodian of record for the genealogy programs in our facilities"? That's the only thing I'm looking for clarification on.

Best regards,
Burkely Hermann

[1] Michelle Garrett Bulsiewicz, "Indexing program changes lives at Idaho women's prison," Deseret News, July 24, 2012,
https://www-deseret-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.deseret.com/platform/amp/2012/7/24/20504710/indexing-program-changes-lives-at-idaho-women-s-prison; Brooke Adams And Jim Dalrymple, "Inside job: Inmates help further Mormon genealogy work," Salt Lake Tribune, April 2, 2014, https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=57682631&itype=CMSID; Heather Whittle Wrigley, "Prisoners Rescuing Prisoners: Indexing at Utah State Prison," LDS, October 28, 2011, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/prisoners-rescuing-prisoners-indexing-at-utah-state-prison?lang=eng; Shane Bauer, "Your Family’s Genealogical Records May Have Been Digitized by a Prisoner," Mother Jones, August 13, 2015, https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/08/mormon-church-prison-geneology-family-search/; Megan Marsden Christensen, "Inmates volunteer for family history work, indexing," KSL.com, January 18, 2015, https://www.ksl.com/article/33131183; LDS, "Service Helps Inmates Look Beyond Themselves," January 15, 2015, https://web.archive.org/web/20150205150137/http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/service-helps-inmates-look-beyond-themselves; Glen N. Greener, "Pioneers Are Now Found in Local Jails," FamilySearch, August 26, 2015,
https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/pioneers-local-jails/.

Ms. Mabe,
Thanks for that clarification. I'd love to learn more about this genealogy program, if you have any resources available, even though there is no policy directly related to this program.

Best regards,
Burkely Hermann