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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 28, 2003)
County VINE system aids crime victims A new victim awareness hot line keeps those in Lane County aware of offender status, transfers and release Caron Alarab Safety/Crime/Transportation Reporter A new safety and awareness tool has been introduced to the crime victims of Lane County. The Victim Information and Notifi cation Everyday system notifies crime victims of offender transfers, place ments or release from custody. VINE, which electronically links the Oregon Department of Corrections computer database and the Lane County Jail’s database to VINE’S National Call Cen ter, automatically notifies any person registered to receive offender informa tion via live operator calls. Providing information in English and Spanish, the system is available in more than 40 states and 900 com munities across the United States and Canada. Lane County is the 35th county to implement the sys tem in Oregon, which is the first state in the nation to provide notifi Class starts soon! May 6 Eugene Kaplan Center 720 East 13th Ave., Suite 204 Call us at 1-800-KAP-TEST or visit us online at kaptest.com today to enroll! •GMAT is the registered trademark of Graduate Management Admissions Council. cation on offenders’ movements un der parole/post-prison and proba tion supervision. “It’s an important service because it gives people information they can use to make vital decisions,” Lane County Community Corrections Manager Grant Nelson said. “Having an automated system that is run by computers rather than people means it’s cheaper, and it avoids hu man intervention.” Corrections officials in Jefferson County, Kentucky, implemented the system in 1994 in response to the brutal murder of Louisville resident Mary Byron on Dec. 8, 1993. After she was kidnapped and raped by her former boyfriend, Byron had re quested to be notified if he made bail, but no one made the call when it was posted. The boyfriend murdered By ron on her 21st birthday, which prompted Jefferson County officials to reassess victim notification. Court and corrections officials partnered with VINE company tech nology specialists and launched the automated VINE system one year af ter Byron’s murder. University Sexu al Wellness Advocacy team intern adviser Whitney Zeigler said the services provided by the VINE sys tem are very important to the safety and inner strength of women who are in danger of being revictimized. “Women shouldn’t have to live in fear,” the first-year graduate student said. “If this system gives them a lit tle more control over their lives, that’s empowering.” Calls to victims originate from the VINE system in Kentucky and con MOnmpmi \551 Ofok St.U 24 Hour IM \ n>v Mark Mcuambridge tmerald Womenspace advises VINE users to take precautions such as having a safety plan. tinue every half hour for 24 hours if there is no answer, or until notifica tion is received and confirmed with a personal identification number. The system even includes an automated telephone hot line service with 24 hour tool-free telephone access to the current status of offenders. Considering that certain condi tions apply to the VINE system—in cluding having caller ID service — Womenspaee Community Outreach Director Margo Schaefer said users should call VINE to check in and make sure they know how it works. Anyone interested can call (877) 674-8463 seven days a week at any time for offender information or to register for the VINE program. Despite VINE’S complete system, local crime victim advocates such as Schaefer have stressed the importance erf creating a personal plan that incorporates the new system instead of usingit alone. “No one should rely on this sys tem to keep themselves safe, which is why Womenspace offers ‘safety plans,’” Schaefer said, referring to specific plans centered around serv ices offered by Womenspace. People who would like to create a Womenspace safety plan or talk to an advocate about the VINE system can visit the Womenspace advocacy cen ter at 1551 Oak St., Suite D, or visit the organization’s Web site at www.enddo mesticviolence.com for more infor mation about local services. “(VINE’s) a great tool,” she added, “but it’s not the whole toolbox.” Contact the reporter at caronalarab@dailyemerald.com. Nurse continued from page 1 understanding. She said unneces sary procedures are often per formed on sexual assault victims that cause even further trauma in 016376 Congratulations Bowling Green State University on their 1 st place win in Recycle Mania 2003 with 52.5 pounds recycled per resident. UO Campus recycling would like to thank UO Housing, RHA, Eugene Mission and Weyerhaeuser for their support of Recycle Mania 2003. And Congratulations to the UO for its close 2nd place with 51.4 pounds recycled per resident. an already frightening situation. Nurses will also learn how to docu ment forensic evidence more effi ciently in an effort to better prose cute sex offenders. Fowler said sometimes evidence is either missed or improperly collected, making it difficult to seek justice for sex crimes. “The bottom line for having this program is to improve the response to victims,” Fowler said. “We want to train examiners to be compas sionate and not ignorant to the needs of victims.” The program will also feature speak ers from various public service offices to discuss issues such as legal aspects of sex crimes, sexually transmitted dis eases and vulnerable populations. The National Grime Victimiza tion Survey reported 249,000 vic tims of rape, attempted rape or sex ual assault in 2000. While reports indicate sexual assault is declining, crimes on the University campus have seen an increase. In 2001, the University Department of Public Safety reported 11 forcible sex of fenses, a dramatic increase from three reported in 2000. Nadia Telsey, who teaches self de fense courses at the University, said the increase could be attributed to a higher instance of reporting crimes. Telsey had been actively involved in the anti-violence movement for more than 30 years. In 2000, she es tablished Breaking Free, a non-prof it organization working toward pro viding awareness about rape and sexual violence. Telsey says rather than teaching physical methods of battling sexual assault, she teaches people to defend themselves verbal ly and through understanding the methods of attackers. “We teach people how to heal from past events as well as how to avoid possible future attacks,” Telsey said. Breaking Free also works closely with Sexual Assault Support Ser vices, another non-profit organiza tion geared toward offering services to victims and promoting aware ness. Beth Monterrosa runs SASS’s In-Powerment program, an eight week self defense program. SASS also offers a 24-hour crisis line and group advocacy services. All of their services are free, she added. “We are not here to counsel peo ple; we’re here to offer support and allow them to choose how to handle the situation,” Monterrosa said. The SASS crisis line is 485-6700 or (800)788-4727. Victims of sexu al assault can also contact the Uni versity's crisis line at 346-4488. Contact the news reporter at lindsaysauve@dailyemerald.com Assault continued from page 1 For EPD, a “fight” usually refers to individuals already engaging in a physical confrontation, while an “as sault” could be a fight that seems more one-sided. “Disputes” tend to involve more arguing and yelling than violence, while “menacing” indicates more threatening language, she said. “Depending on the reported inci dent, in many cases, we will work together with DPS to handle the sit uation,” she added. In a recent incident, a male stu dent requested to press charges against another male student after the two had a dispute in the Student Recreation Center. According to the Student Judicial Affairs program, stu dents who decide to file charges for a dispute, fight, assault or menacing in cident on campus should contact dif ferent University resources depend ing on the details of the situation. If an incident occurs in the resi dence halls, students should contact their complex director. If it involves fraternity or sorority members, stu dents should contact the Greek Life office. For the majority of incidents, however, students should contact Student Judicial Affairs Director Chris Loschiavo at 346-1140. Contact the reporter at caronalarab@dailyemerald.com.