Alone and in Need of Information
It’s 3:00 a.m. You suddenly sit up in bed after hearing a car door shut nearby. You can’t help but wonder if the suspect who killed your sister has been apprehended. The last you knew a roadblock was set up, but that was hours ago. The detective isn’t giving up, but neither is he giving details. Sleep won’t come. You startle at every unfamiliar sound. Frequent checks of your phone turn up nothing.
Safety concerns are common among homicide survivors. You fear the accused and their supporters. You fear unnamed members of the public. You even fear the media.
As you sit there watching the shadows of the tree move outside your bedroom window you recall the detective said safety concerns are highest at key points. The likeliest times for retribution are during the investigation, at the arraignment, the start of the trial, sentencing, and when parole is granted years later.
It’s then you also recall the one detainee who somehow eloped from the local jail six months ago. If it happened once, could it happen again?
You’ve never felt so vulnerable, alone, and morose.
Is there any place to turn for accurate information in the middle of the night? Some way to ease your anxiety?
Fortunately, yes.
1-866-277-7477
www.VINELink.com
Many homicide survivors wrongly assume that law enforcement or the prosecuting attorney’s office will notify them if the offender is scheduled to be released or relocated to another facility. This is not the case. It is up to us to take the initiative to get information about the offender’s custody status.
The platform that came about in 1994 is called “VINE” (“Victim Information Notification Everyday”). In the last several years the VINE notification network has expanded to 48 states. (It’s not yet in Maine or Nebraska.) VINE is empowered by direct connections to over 3,000 jail and prison booking systems. Information is given in 200 languages. And, better yet, it’s free.
How It Works
When someone is arrested and booked into a facility connected to VINE, data is sent directly to the VINE platform. It can take as little as fifteen minutes for this process to be completed, depending upon the booking practices of the agency and how often they send information.
Sadly, like Marsy’s Law, Amber Alert, and Code Adam, it took a tragedy to make VINE a reality. This valuable platform came about in 1994, a year after the gruesome rape and murder of Mary Francis Byron at the hands of her former boyfriend. The attack occurred on her 21st birthday. She was unaware that her abuser had been released on bail, just two weeks after he was arrested for domestic violence. Mary was leaving her job as a hairstylist at J.P. Penney’s in Louisville, Kentucky. He confronted her in the darkened parking lot seeking revenge.
VINE has been endorsed by Chief Justice of the Eighth District Court of Appeals, Richard Barajas. He was also a former Executive Director of NOVA. Justice Barajas used it following the murder of his brother, Oscar, who was killed in 1987.
VINE is relied upon over 25 million times a year. It has delivered over 43 million notifications annually. It is the nation’s leading automated victim notification service.
VINE provides information around the clock (even at 3:00 a.m.!)
VINE offers:
>>timely, reliable offender custody status
>>protective order status
>>court case information (where available)
>>alerts when changes occur in an offender’s custody status (such as booking into custody, release from custody, escape from custody, or transfer to another facility)
>> a few states also offer information on upcoming probation and parole board hearings and when parole is granted
Once registered, real-time alerts are sent in the manner chosen: email, text messages, phone call, or in-app. The user may call VINE at any time, day or night, to reach a real person at their toll-free number:
1-866-277-7477
www.VINELink.com
Newer Enhanced Features
Some states have gone a step further. These forward-thinking locations will help the registrant link up with much-needed services. This includes services such as legal counsel, advocacy groups, victim financial compensation, survivor resource centers, a customizable offender “watch list” and a service provider directory.
VINE facilitates information-sharing between public servants, victims, and service providers. It’s just a phone call or internet search away.
Registration is required but it is confidential. Contact can be made through:
1-866-277-7477
www.VINELink.com
A word of caution. VINE users should not depend solely on VINE for their safety. Instead it should be part of a more comprehensive plan. Of course, if you feel you are in immediate danger, call 911.
Victims of federal crimes can obtain information through the free federal Victim Notification System at https://www.notify.usdoj.gov/ The federal automated system is in English and Spanish
You don’t have to figure it out alone. Ask for help and invite collaboration.
