Crime Victims Bill of Rights

VICTIM INFORMATION & NOTIFICATION EVERYDAY (VINE)

Texas VINE is a free and anonymous telephone service that provides victims of crime information and notification regarding offenders in the county jail.  Texas VINE is a statewide service that is sponsored by the Office of the Attorney General, Office of the Governor, and local county officials.

Texas VINE monitors the custody status of offenders in county jails.  the system obtains the information through an interface with detention facilities throughout Texas and stores the information in the National Communications Center in Louisville, Kentucky.  The transfer of data occurs every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day.  The telephone number is 1-877-894-8463.

Information is available in English or Spanish 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  A live operator is also available 24 hours a day to assist callers.

Take safety precautions - A victim should not depend on the Texas VINE system or any other notification program if they feel like their safety may be threatened by the release of an inmate.

When was VINE developed?

The first VINE program was created in 1993, after a tragic death of Mary Byron in Louisville, Kentucky.  An ex-boyfriend murdered Mary shortly after he was released from jail without her knowledge.  A notification call from police that was promised but not delivered, set the stage for the development of the nation's first totally automated service for keeping crime victims informed of the custody status of an inmate.  After a year in development, VINE was unveiled in Jefferson County (Louisville), Kentucky, on December 31, 1994.

Register with VINE

Anyone may call Texas VINE to determine the custody status of an offender.

There are two ways you can register to be notified by Texas VINE:

• Call 1-877-894-8463

• Visit the VINELink website at www.vinelink.com

The inmate must be booked into the county jail before a victim can register for this service.  A touch-tone telephone must be used to register for notification.  After dialing the VINE number, follow the instructions given by the system.  VINE will ask for a telephone number and a 4 - digit personal identification number (PIN) to be used for notification calls.  The PIN is used to verify a successful notification.

To search for information, callers will need to provide the system with one or more of the following:

• Offender Name

• Offender CID number

• Date of Birth

Information provided when calling VINE service:

• Name of Offender/Alias

• CID Number

• Date of Birth

• Current Custody Status

• Location of Offender

Notification

Notification calls begin as soon as the VINE Call Center updated records from the on-site computer.  Notification calls to registered persons will be made when one or more of the following occur:

• General Release

• Out of Custody

• Escape

• Transfer to Another Facility

Calls will be made every 2 hours for 24 hours until the correct PIN is entered.  Notifications messages will be left on an answering machine, but calls will continue for 24 hours until the correct PIN is entered.

Telephone number are removed from the VINE database 14 days after release or transfer of the offender from the county facility.

Additional Contact Information

For more information you can go to the Texas Attorney General's web site.