WHAT IF VIOLATING FOIA MEANT JAIL TIME? The landmark Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) became law on July 4, 1966, and in the six decades since, not one federal employee has ever gone to jail for violating the statute. Maybe that has something to do with the routine way the FOIA is ignored, abused and outright trashed by federal workers. I don’t know, I’m from out of town and all, but maybe it’s time to amend the law to make jail the consequence of serious infractions?