TRENTON
- Attorney General Peter C. Harvey today
announced that a statewide computer-based
victim assistance program which provides
24/7 information and notification to crime
victims and their families about the custody
status of offenders in state and county
jails is on track to be fully operational
in New Jersey’s 21 counties in January,
2006. Additionally, the Attorney General
issued a formal Directive (2005-5) to
New Jersey prosecutor’s outlining
victim rights and program guidelines,
implementation, and notification procedures.
According to Attorney General Harvey,
New Jersey joins 36 other states across
the nation in implementing the Victim
Information & Notification Everyday
(VINE) Program. VINE provides crime victims
and their families 24/7 access to offender
custody and case information and automatically
notifies the registered victim or family
member about any change in offender status,
including the release from prison or jail.
The implementation of New Jersey’s
VINE was coordinated by the Attorney General’s
Office, Division of Criminal Justice,
Office of Victim-Witness Advocacy.
“Today,
New Jersey nears full implementation of
a very important program that gives crime
victims and their families the information
they need, when they need it,” Attorney
General Harvey said. “New Jersey
VINE is available in both English and
Spanish, with live operator assistance
for anyone contacting the toll-free information
number at 1-877-VINE-4-NJ (846-3465).”
Joining the Attorney General to announce
New Jersey VINE were Assistant Attorney
General Patricia Prezioso, Director, Law
Enforcement Services, Division of Criminal
Justice, Sandra McGowan, Office of Victim
Witness Advocacy, Jackie Simonson, Atlantic
County VINE Program, victim witness advocates,
and law enforcement personnel. The Attorney
General also acknowledged the commitment
of New Jersey’s the 21 county prosecutor’s
offices and the more than 550 local, county,
and state police departments participation
in the VINE Program.
According to Assistant Attorney General
Prezioso, the Attorney General’s
Directive requires all New Jersey law
enforcement to establish the VINE program
and encourages all crime victims to participate
by registering with local police. VINE
begins when a crime is reported to police.
The victim (or family member) provides
a telephone number(s) and a four-digit
personal identification number (PIN) to
police. The contact information is included
on the Victim Information Form provided
to the county correctional facility when
the offender is committed to jail. The
county correctional facility enters the
victim information, including the telephone
numbers and PIN, into a centralized computer
which registers the victim with VINE.
When the county correctional facility
releases or transfers an offender to another
correctional facility, VINE automatically
notifies the victim by telephone, calling
all the telephone numbers provided by
the victim, at one-half hour intervals.
If the system is unable to contact the
victim within twenty-four hours, a letter
is sent to the victim by the County Prosecutor’s
Victim Witness Coordinator.
The New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice
has implemented VINE in nineteen counties
with the remaining two counties (Bergen
and Passaic) scheduled to roll-out in
January 2006. VINE was funded via a $617,000
federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant
with no cost to the counties. To date,
more than 7,200 victims have registered
with VINE, including: Atlantic, 1233;
Burlington, 445; Camden, 599; Cape May,
340; Cumberland, 325; Essex, 221; Gloucester,
250; Hudson, 155; Hunterdon, 55; Mercer,
215; Middlesex, 595; Monmouth, 197; Morris,
773; Ocean, 628; Salem, 121; Somerset,
85; Sussex, 46; Union, 927; and Warren,
24. Victims registered with VINE will
be notified automatically by the system
of an offender’s custody release
or correctional system transfer. Registered
victims can confirm an offender’s
status through a toll-free number - 1-877-VINE-4-NJ
(846-3465), twenty-four hours
per day seven days a week.
For more information about VINE, go to
the Division of Criminal Justice Web site
- Victim Witness at www.njdcj.org.
>>
VINE brochure
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