“I’ve been doing this for 21 years and it’s one of the greatest tools that we’ve had.”
That’s Sue Jones, Statewide Victim/Witness Coordinator for the state of Tennessee talking about VINE. Her comments came during the District Attorneys General Conference in Nashville last month. Tennessee began offering the VINE service in 2008 and victim advocates are singing its praises.
Stokey Bourque, one of Tennessee’s district victim/witness coordinators, says crime victims tell him that VINE gives them tremendous peace of mind. “They don’t have to live in fear. They don’t have to look over their shoulder because they know they’re going to be notified when their offender gets out.”
In addition to crime victims, Bourque says police have also found VINE to be a very helpful tool. “If there’s an offender that ends up being habitual, they will go ahead and register for that person so that they know when the person gets out.”
“There’s no amount of money or anything that you can do or say that gives victims that kind of feeling and that kind of safety net that they have now that they’ve never had in the past,” says Jones. “With VINE we don’t fail these victims. We take care of them. It’s our job to make sure they’re taken care of, and that’s what we do.”
Says Bourque, “The VINE system no doubt saves lives because it allows people to be notified right away, anytime of the day or night.”
