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
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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
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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
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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.