It might be interesting, but something from October 12th is hardly what FReepers would call "Breaking News".
Posted on 10/15/2003 11:35:21 AM PDT by davidosborne
October 12. 2003 6:01AM
SYSTEM TRACKS INMATE STATUS
Area jails to utilize database
By KAREN VOYLES
Sun staff writer
RONSON - Crime victims in Florida and their families have help coming to deal with one of the concerns that may keep them awake at night - knowing the whereabouts of the person who attacked them after the suspect has been arrested.
Jail employees around North Central Florida will go to class this week to learn to run a computerized phone system that will let residents keep track of people being held in state prisons and county jails.
The patented system - Victim Information and Notification Everyday, or VINE - provides crime victims and other concerned residents with a statewide, toll-free phone number to get current custody information around the clock.
The system's popularity can be seen by its use. In September, with 21 county jails and the Florida Department of Corrections and Juvenile Justice participating, 73,535 people registered to be notified and 83,848 outgoing calls were placed. State and company officials are planning for another three-dozen county jails to join the system by the end of the year, including those that will be training employees this week - Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy and Union counties.
Floridians call a toll free number - (877) VINE-4FL, or (877) 846-3435 - and follow the voice prompts to find out where someone is being held or to register for notifications from the system. People who register will be notified automatically by phone when an inmate is released, transferred, escapes or dies. Similar systems are in place or being installed in 17 other states.
"There have been occasions in the past when we let someone out of jail and their victim has no idea they were back on the street," said Capt. Mike Johnson, who manages the Levy County jail. "With this new system, that situation is less likely to happen."
The VINE system is set up to call the registered person's phone number for as many as 48 hours. The calls stop once someone picks up the phone, punches in their personal identification number and listens to the message.
"If no one answers within 48 hours, we get an e-mail notifying us and we send out a deputy to make sure the person knows," Johnson said.
Mark Lazarus, the Victim Assistance Administrator for the Florida Department of Corrections, said the VINE software automatically receives updates from state prisons every 30 minutes and from county jails every 15 minutes. The updates are transmitted to VINE's parent company, Apriss, in Louisville, Ky.
"Once there is a status change - usually within a minute of receiving data - the VINE phone calls start," Lazarus said. "Typically, when someone picks up the call and types in their personal identification number, they will hear something like, 'This is an important message from the notification system.' "
The system spells out the first and last names of the inmate, and the status change is given along with a phone number for the county jail or prison that can be called for more information. During the notification process, participating agencies can check the progress of each case on the VINE database.
Registering to be notified about an inmate's status changes is quick. Callers dial the toll-free number, then use their telephone key pads to spell the inmate's name and answer a few questions, like what number to call to notify them.
Notifying victims
Local officials have been interested in the VINE system for years.
Dave Remer, director of victim services for the State Attorney's Office, said the operating costs of the system were prohibitive for the circuit when he looked into it several years ago during Rod Smith's tenure as state attorney.
"Since then the software has been refined and the state came up with a way to pay for this," Remer said.
Lazarus said the Legislature appropriated $1 million for the statewide system, and grants have been found to cover some local conversion costs. While some counties already had a hi-tech booking system and only needed the VINE software, other - usually rural - counties needed a bigger technological boost.
"Lafayette County is an example of where we had a jail still using pen and paper booking, and we helped them computerize their entire booking system," Lazarus said.
Lafayette County Sheriff Carson McCall said installing computers to update his agency has been a priority since he was appointed earlier this year.
"When I started, here deputies were still handwriting reports and we only had manual notification when we let someone out of jail," McCall said. "VINE is part of the revolutionizing the computers are doing out here to make our citizens safer."
In jails where computerized booking is already the standard, VINE adds no significant time to the booking process because the VINE software automatically interacts with the pre-existing software.
"We are committed to doing this because any victim needs to be notified ASAP when someone is released - I don't care if it is a personal crime or a property crime - victims have a right to know at every phase of the case and it doesn't cost my department anything," said Bradford County Sheriff Bob Milner. "We see this as being as important to public safety as locking people up."
Notifying victims is something law enforcement and corrections officials agree is important but admit can be time-consuming and frustrating.
"Notification is a situation that comes up almost constantly in my office, and it can be expensive because it is time consuming," State Attorney Bill Cervone said. "The number one reason is the logistics. Crime victims are not required to sit by their phones 24 hours a day waiting for a call in case someone is released from custody. This system can keep calling them until it reaches them. There seems to be no downside to this."
Karen Voyles can be reached at (352) 486-5058 or voylesk@gvillesun.com.
(Excerpt) Read more at gvillesun.com ...
It might be interesting, but something from October 12th is hardly what FReepers would call "Breaking News".
All but one at least...
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