Custody Status of Offenders in the Los Angeles County Jail System

The County of Los Angeles utilizes VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday) to track the custody status of offenders housed in the Los Angeles County jail system. VINE is a service through which victims of crime can use the telephone or internet to search for information regarding their offender's custody status and register to receive telephone and e-mail notification when their offender's custody status changes.

You can use the telephone to search for and register to receive notification about the custody status of an offender. The toll-free VINE phone number for the County of Los Angeles is (877) 846-3452.

You can also search for and register to receive notification about the custody status of an offender via VINELink at http://www.vinelink.com/.

Once registered with VINE, you will be notified of the following events:

• Release
• Transfer
• Escape
• Return from escape

For more information about VINE, including state/county toll-free numbers, please go to www.appriss.com/VINE.html.

Custody Status of Offenders in the California State Prison System

The victim of crime, family member of a victim, or a witness who testified against the offender may request to be notified of the release, death, or escape of their offender(s). Requests can be made by in the following ways:

• Completing a Request for Victim Services form and sending the form to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Officer of Victim & Survivors Rights & Services, or
• Registering with the Automated Victim Notification Service

For more information, please go to http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Victim_Services/application.html

Custody Status of Criminal Aliens in the Federal System

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) administers a Victim Notification Program which allows eligible victims and witnesses to obtain reliable and timely information regarding a criminal alien’s release from custody.

In order to be notified, a victim must submit the registration form. Information on the registration form is confidential and will not be disclosed to the criminal alien.

For more information, please go to http://www.ice.gov/victim-notification/.

Custody Status of Criminal Offenders in the Federal Prison System

The Federal Bureau of Prison's Victim/Witness Notification System (VNS) ensures that crime victims and witnesses enrolled in the program are notified within specific time frames of an inmate's admission to or release from an institution, and about other events concerning an inmate, such as changes in status or parole hearings.

VNS is a free service to crime victims by which notifications are sent providing information about significant events during an offenders' incarceration. Notifications are made available in English or Spanish. In addition to the notification letters provided, VNS provides a toll-free Call Center and a VNS Internet Site to crime victims. Individual victims will be provided a Victim Identification Number (VIN) and a Personal Identification Number (PIN). These numbers are necessary to access information available via the VNS Call Center or the VNS Internet Site. Each of these services allow victims to access information, receive notifications, change contact information, and/or elect to stop receiving notifications.

The VNS Call Center can be reached at (866) 365-4968 and Notify USDOJ can be used to access the Victim Internet Site. Most questions regarding the VNS are addressed in the brochure provided to victims in their initial notification letter. Additional questions regarding the VNS or the Bureau's notification procedures can be addressed to the Victim-Witness Coordinators at (202) 307-0884 or (202) 307-2878.

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