Wednesday, April 29,
2009
Governor Doyle Announces Expansion of Victim Notification System to
Improve Community Safety
MADISON - Governor Jim
Doyle today announced the expansion of the Wisconsin Victim Information
and Notification Everyday (WI-VINE) Service, an automated system for
victims to receive timely information about the location and status of
criminal defendants and convicted offenders in county jails and other
facilities. The Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) is overseeing
the creation of a statewide automated victim information and notification
system as part of a $1.2 million grant awarded to the state by the U.S.
Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice
Assistance.
“This new statewide
system will help us to keep our communities safer and more informed,”
Governor Doyle said. “Now, through the assistance of our law enforcement
partners and other stakeholders, we will be able to offer crime victims
key information about convicted offenders and defendants in Wisconsin and
alert them to any changes in their status.”
The announcement was
made by DOC Secretary Rick Raemisch on behalf of the Governor at the
Marinette County Jail. Marinette County Jail is the first facility in
Wisconsin to activate the service as part of the expansion which will
include 18 additional counties in the coming months. The DOC as well as
Dane and Outagamie counties have operated VINE for close to a decade. The
service will eventually be statewide.
“Our ultimate goal is to
ensure that all victims in Wisconsin have the means and opportunity to
have access to information and to receive notification about the status of
a defendant or offender as they move through the criminal justice
process,” Secretary Raemisch said. “The WI-VINE Service is meant to
enhance Wisconsin’s already strong framework to assist crime victims,
including the crucial network of personal victim advocacy services
currently provided by victim/witness coordinators and others.”
In Marinette County, the
WI-VINE system will directly interface with the jail’s daily booking
information, collecting data including status changes for each offender or
criminal defendant. Individuals who enroll for the service will be able to
access this information 24 hours a day, seven days a week through a
toll-free telephone number (1-888-WI-4-VINE) or through the Web at
www.vinelink.com. They also will be able to sign up for automated
notification when a particular offender or criminal defendant’s status
changes.
Marinette County Sheriff
James Kanikula added, “The WI-VINE Service is a system that serves not
only crime victims, but also family members, neighbors, business owners,
law enforcement officers, criminal justice professionals – anyone impacted
by crime – who is interested in knowing the location and custody status of
criminal defendants and offenders housed in the Marinette County Jail. We
are pleased to be partnering with the Department of Corrections to make
this community resource available.”
The 18 additional
counties that will be activating the WI-VINE Service for their jail
facilities in the coming months include Ashland, Buffalo, Chippewa, Door,
Douglas, Eau Claire, La Crosse, Milwaukee, Monroe, Ozaukee, Pierce, Rock,
Shawano, Taylor, Trempealeau, Waukesha, Waupaca and Winnebago.
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April 29, 2009
