Victims of domestic violence will automatically be notified that their abusers are being released from jail under a new program the Snohomish County Jail plans to start next year.
“This is one more barrier we can take away for victims. Knowing when an abuser is getting out is a huge piece of the safety planning,” said Tammy McElyea, domestic violence coordinator for the Mountlake Terrace Police Department.
The jail hopes to start Victim Information and Notification Everyday, or VINE, in May, jail spokesman Jim Harms said. Jail staff now call victims who’ve requested notification, but the VINE system would help ensure they’re contacted, Harms said.
“If we call once or twice and the person’s not there, we can’t hold onto the person being released,” he said. “The VINE computer will call constantly until the person enters their PIN number indicating they’ve been notified.”
Pierce and King counties use the system. Snohomish County has been interested in getting the technology for several years, but was unable to come up with the money, Harms said.
Under a new jail telephone contract, AT&T agreed to pay the $31,000 start-up fee and the ongoing cost estimated at $42,700 per year, Harms said.
The Snohomish County Council accepted AT&T’s bid last week to provide telephone service for about 234 pay telephones on county property, said Susan Neely, who oversees criminal justice matters for County Executive Aaron Reardon.
About 150 of those are inmate phones at the county’s new jail.
The AT&T contract is still being negotiated, she said. Council members hope to sign it by the end of the year, allowing installation in January, Neely said.
Once the contract is signed, it will take three to four months to start VINE in Snohomish County, Harms said.
“There were a lot of people in county government that worked hard to make this possible,” McElyea said. “During a tough budget time, it could have gone away, but they found a way to make it happen.”
Last year, a fifth of all people booked into the jail had a domestic-violence related charge, Harms said. That’s about 10 a day.
The automated victim notification system could play a critical role in preventing retaliation for reporting abuse, McElyea said.
“This was a gap in the system that was there, and we found a way to fill the gap,” she said.
Reporter Katherine Schiffner: 425-339-3436 or schiffner@heraldnet.com.
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