[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 54 (Monday, April 26, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S4367]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SCOTT CAMPBELL, STEPHANIE ROPER, WENDY PRESTON, LOUARNA GILLIS, AND 
                  NILA LYNN CRIME VICTIMS' RIGHTS ACT

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today as a proud cosponsor of 
this victims' rights legislation, which has special significance for my 
State and my hometown. On December 6, 1993, Mary Byron was murdered in 
Louisville on her 21st birthday as she left her place of work. Mary was 
killed by her ex-boyfriend who, unknown to Mary, had recently been 
released from the county jail where he had been held since being 
arrested for stalking, assaulting, and raping Mary. The Byron family 
had been assured that they would be notified when Mary's attacker was 
released from custody. But unfortunately, they were not.
  Following this tragedy, the Louisville metro criminal justice 
community quickly realized that victims of violent crime needed a 
better system of notification when offenders are arrested, released, or 
scheduled to appear in court. The community committed itself to solving 
this critical problem and ensuring victims' safety. In December 1994, 
one year after Mary Byron's death, Jefferson County, KY introduced the 
Nation's first automated victim notification service.
  That system is called VINE, which stands for Victim Information and 
Notification Everyday. This program assures crime victims access to 
rapid, automated notification by telephone, pager, or e-mail when an 
offender's status changes. The system also allows victims to call 24-
hours a day to obtain the current status of an offender--giving victims 
peace of mind and a sense of control over their lives.
  What began in Louisville 9 years ago has now spread to more than 
1,400 communities in 36 States. In fact, in 19 States every county jail 
and State prison is connected to the VINE network. Each of these 
facilities and communities are connected through the VINE 
Communications Center located in Louisville. This central hub collects 
data from and manages automated interfaces among 57 percent of the 
Nation's county and State correctional facilities, and monitors 14 
million offender transactions each month. Within moments of an 
offender's status change, such as escape, transfer, or release, high-
speed notification is activated to reach out and provide information to 
victims.
  The VINE Communications Center provides a staff of live operators 24-
hours a day to assist victims in using the service. This national 
victim notification center has made over 22 million calls, resulting in 
more than one million notification events and saving countless lives.
  VINE technology is also being used in Federal correctional 
facilities. In 1999, the U.S. Department of Justice launched its 
Federal Victim Notification Service with the core VINE software. I am 
proud to note that DOJ's Federal Victim Notification Service also 
utilizes the Louisville-based communications center that provides 
victim notification services for the county jails and State prisons in 
36 States.
  It is now time to make this life-saving service available to every 
crime victim in America. And this legislation helps make that a 
reality. The lack of victims' rights, including notification about the 
status of an offender, is a national criminal justice problem that 
requires national leadership to solve. This legislation recognizes the 
national problem, and I am proud to say this bill includes a component 
to help complete the job of providing safety to victims of domestic 
violence and other violent crimes.
  I commend the Senator from Arizona and the Senator from California 
for their tireless work on this issue.
  This legislation not only states that each victim of violent crime 
has a right to be notified of the release or the escape of the accused, 
but it also authorizes adequate funding to see that the crime victim 
notification network that currently protects many of the Nation's crime 
victims is extended to cover all of the Nation's crime victims.
  In an effort to prevent any family from having to suffer the tragedy 
that befell hers, Mary Byron's mother, Pat, has dedicated the last ten 
years of her life to raising awareness and support for innovative 
programs, such as VINE, that help to break the cycle of violence. The 
Mary Byron Foundation, along with the National Center for Missing and 
Exploited Children, are strong supporters of completing the VINE 
Network, and I ask my colleagues to join with us in supporting this 
critical piece of legislation.

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