Virginia VINE provides crime survivors, others with offender information

In recognition of National Crime Victims' Rights Week, April 19-25, officials from Virginia VINE are reminding survivors statewide that free and confidential offender and protective order information is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Virginia VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday) has been providing its services to survivors and others for two decades.

The program is a partnership between the Virginia Center for Policing Innovation and the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association. It is an automated service that provides survivors of crime and others with offender custody status and protective order updates in virtual real time.

Anyone may register to receive a phone call, text, email, or TTY notification, letting them know if an offender has been transferred, released, or escaped; service and expiration updates for preliminary and permanent (final) protective orders; and notifications for the Virginia Sex Offender Registry.

A free service provider directory connects survivors with important resources in their communities. Virginia VINE is confidential.

In the past 20 years, Virginia VINE has sent more than four million notifications to Virginians, with thousands more signing up each month to receive custody and protective order updates at no cost.

VINE allows survivors of domestic violence to incorporate this information into their recovery and safety plans. An instance in which this type of notification could have saved the life of a survivor was the impetus for the development of VINE.

In December 1993, Mary Byron, a young woman from Louisville, Kentucky, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend and offender when he was released on bail. Despite the fact that he had been recognized as a continued threat, no one notified Byron or her family about his release. He ambushed her in a parking lot near where she worked and killed her on her 21st birthday.

As a result of Bryon’s murder, the first VINE system was launched in Louisville one year later. The VINE solution now exists nationwide, with 46 states participating.

VCPI administers Virginia VINE Services and provides free training, presentations and VINE materials for advocates, community organizations, and law enforcement agencies.

For details or to register for notifications, visit vavine.org or vinelink.com.