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Alerts meant to help safety
System notifies victims when offender released
Herald Staff Writer
On the Net
To learn more about Colorado Victim Information and Notification Every Day (VINE), visit www.vinelink.com or call (888) 263-8463.
The system called Victim Information and Notification Everyday, or VINE, is expected to be operational early next year in La Plata County. The entire state should be connected to VINE within six months; it is already available in 40 states.
The arrival of the system was formally announced Thursday during a news conference at the Durango Community Recreation Center. The news conference was led by the County Sheriffs of Colorado and the La Plata County Sheriff's Office.
"We use state-of-the-art technology to make sure this works, but it means absolutely nothing if people don't know it's out there," said Rick Jones of Appriss, a private company that provides the service nationwide.
The alert system notifies victims or anyone else when an offender's status changes at the La Plata County Jail or other correctional centers across the state.
"Crime victims need up-to-date information about their offenders," said Nancy Lewis, executive director of the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance, in a news release. "In domestic-violence cases, it could be a matter of life and death that they be notified when their offender is released from jail or prison."
Almost 16 years ago, a Kentucky woman was raped by her ex-boyfriend. The suspect was arrested and posted bail before his case was resolved. Two days later, the ex-boyfriend found the woman and shot her to death on her 21st birthday. The woman had no idea her ex-boyfriend had been released.
After that, some states passed a law that requires correctional officials to notify victims when offenders are released. But it was virtually impossible for correctional officials to keep up with every notification, so a private company provided the automated victim-notification system.
La Plata County Sheriff Duke Schirard said the service is not costing the county anything, and it will save deputies time in the jail. It can be used by anybody, including victims, new friends and family members, he said.
"Suppose you are a witness at a trial and you gave damaging testimony that put somebody in jail or prison," Schirard said. "Wouldn't you like to be notified if that person got out?"
The notification system can empower victims and give them peace of mind, Jones said. Unless victims hear from the automated system, they have no reason to believe the offender is free, he said.
"We have heard from individuals over the course of the years who have said, 'I believe my life was saved because that service was available,'" Jones said.
"In domestic-violence cases, we've had individuals who have received that notification call, and within a couple of hours that offender shows up at their door, and they were able to get out of their house or have someone there at the home," Jones said.
Victims can use the VINE service by calling a toll-free number. They can search for prisoners by name or the offender's ID number to find out where the person is. Victims can then register to receive automated phone calls or e-mails anytime the offender's status changes.
Law enforcement can use it to more easily track repeat offenders they need to interview. And media outlets can use it to keep track of high-profile prisoners. Eventually, the system may be able to notify victims when an offender is scheduled for court.
Since the service was launched in January 2008 in Colorado, VINE has delivered more than 420,000 phone and e-mail notifications. Currently, more than 22,000 prisoners are being monitored by Colorado VINE. Nationwide, VINE delivers about 1.5 million phone notifications per month and 1 million e-mail notifications per month.
The state received a $930,000 federal grant to implement the system. It has taken about three years to connect every jail statewide. The maintenance cost will be about $385,000 per year statewide, but it is unknown where that money will come from, said Don Christensen, executive director of the County Sheriffs of Colorado.
A public-education campaign about VINE will include brochures in English and Spanish, a Web site and toll-free number, and police officers will have leaflets they can give victims with offender information and details about VINE.
Jane Foy, the victim witness coordinator for the 6th Judicial District Attorney's Office, said the more tools victims have to stay informed, the better.
"It's great," she said. "The more communication the victims get, the better, especially about (a jail) release."
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