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VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday): Jefferson County Corrections' System for Victim Notification

NCJ Number
166716
Journal
American Jails Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Dated: (July/August 1996) Pages: 55-58
Author(s)
J Payne; J Grace
Date Published
1996
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The Victim Information and Notification Everyday (VINE) system begun in Jefferson County, Ky., allows victims to register to be automatically notified when an inmate is to be released from or transferred within the corrections system.
Abstract
VINE also provides victims quick access to accurate inmate information via the telephone. Through a phone call to the system, victims can determine that their attacker is still in custody. The fully automated system functions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Phone calls to VINE are answered by a state-of-the- art computer. A series of prompts guides the caller through the registration process. Registration includes establishing a personal identification number for the caller. When the inmate is to be released, VINE automatically calls all registered persons, repeatedly if necessary, until they are contacted. The program has proven to be an effective deterrent to repeat violence. In the first 6 months of operation, more than 3,500 notifications were made. Victim response to the VINE program was so overwhelming, the governor expanded the program statewide, and communities in other States are working to implement the VINE system.