Benton, Ark - -- The Mary Byron Foundation, a public, grant-making charity based in Louisville, Kentucky, has chosen Saline County, Arkansas as the first site of a pilot project to automatically notify petitioners when protective orders are served on respondents.
This innovative new service, VINE Protective Order(TM), allows users to call a toll-free telephone number any time of day or night to register for notification and to find out whether a protective order has been served, when court hearings will be held, when amendments are filed, and when the order is about to expire.
Saline County is part of a six-state, 41-site pilot project funded by a $990,000 grant from the Office on Violence Against Women in the U.S. Department of Justice. The Mary Byron Foundation, the recipient of the grant, will oversee the VINE Protective Order project with assistance from court, law enforcement, and victim service agencies at each pilot site.
"Civil protective orders have been a part of our justice system for nearly 30 years. However, there has been little innovation in the way they have been handled up to this point," said Marcia Roth, executive director of the Mary Byron Foundation. "VINE Protective Order is a breakthrough on behalf of victims and public safety. In designing this system, our principal objective was to enhance safety, confidentiality, and empowerment for the petitioner."
In many communities, including Saline County, temporary protective orders are issued by the local civil court and served by the sheriff's office. They are intended to protect a domestic violence victim (the petitioner) from someone who has been abusive or threatened violence (the respondent). An order may be served within a few hours, or it may take days or even weeks to complete service, depending on how quickly the respondent is located. Until now, petitioners have had no sure way to know when an order is served, other than by making repeated calls to various agencies.
"The time immediately after a protective order is served can be particularly dangerous for crime victims. Far too often, the respondent reacts violently when served, putting the victim in grave danger. Knowing when the order is served allows the petitioner to seek safety or call police to arrest the respondent if he violates the terms of the order," says Jerry J. Bowles, a Jefferson County, KY Family Court Judge and a member of the Mary Byron Foundation's National Advisory Board. "VINE Protective Order promotes victim safety and facilitates the administration of justice as intended by the courts."
Robert Herzfeld, 22nd Judicial District Prosecutor, said VINE Protective Order will be a major benefit to domestic violence victims, who many times are forced to choose between legal and protective remedies. Saline County Sheriff Phil Mask agreed.
"The use of technology to improve public safety is the wave of the future for law enforcement," said Saline County Sheriff Phil Mask. "VINE Protective Order will strengthen our ability to protect victims without replacing solid investigative work needed to reduce domestic violence."
Individuals who petition the court for protective orders can call the toll-free Saline County VINE Protective Order Line to determine the status of a protective order and register for notification. Operators are available 24 hours a day to help petitioners register, to answer questions, and to provide information about local victim advocacy services.
As soon as the system receives confirmation that the protective order has been served, VINE Protective Order immediately begins placing notification calls to the registered petitioner. In the event of a busy signal or no answer, the system will continue to call for 24 hours or until the petitioner answers the call. The petitioner will be required to a personal access code to verify that the call was received.
VINE Protective Order builds on the success of VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday), which has been offered throughout Arkansas since 1999. VINE allows crime victims and other concerned citizens to obtain timely and reliable information about criminal cases and the custody status of offenders 24 hours a day -- over the telephone, through the Internet, or by e-mail. Appriss Inc., the company that created and continues to offer VINE, has been selected by the Mary Byron Foundation to implement and operate VINE Protective Order.
To ensure victims' safety and privacy, information about protective order cases will be accessible only to the petitioner and designated personnel. Court staff, victim advocates, and law enforcement officers will have access to the toll-free information line, as well as an in-bound telephone line and website where they can modify or update the status of an order.
"Our goal is a seamless system of safety and support," said Ken Ogden, chair of the Saline County Domestic Violence Coalition. VINE Protective Order brings a technological link to our existing cooperative work on behalf of victims and the professionals responsible for protecting them."
Additional pilot sites include Pope and Clark counties in Arkansas, two counties in Kentucky, three each in Texas and North Carolina, one borough in New York City, and the state of Utah. The Foundation also plans to study how protective orders are issued, reviewed by the courts, and served on respondents at each site. This research will allow the Foundation to make recommendations on how to streamline the process for court and law enforcement staff.
"VINE Protective Order centralizes information for petitioners and justice professionals," said Travis A. Fritsch, the Mary Byron Foundation's protective order notification project manager. "Along with that, we believe this service will help court and law enforcement agencies to increase offender accountability, reduce the risk of further harm to all parties involved, and improve the process by which protective orders are served."
This project was supported by Grant No. 2005-WT-AX-K088 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.
What is VINE Protective Order?
It is a toll-free telephone service that allows petitioners for civil protective orders to call any time of day or night to register for notification and to find out whether a protective order has been served, when court hearings will be held, when amendments are filed, and when the order is about to expire.
How much does VINE Protective Order cost?
The system is free to users and to the communities that have been chosen for the pilot project. A $990,000 grant from the U.S. Office on Violence Against Women, awarded to the Mary Byron Foundation-- a Louisville, Kentucky-based organization that supports agencies working to stop domestic violence -- will pay for the system.
Who manages VINE Protective Order?
The Mary Byron Foundation will oversee the VINE Protective Order project. Appriss Inc., the chosen vendor, will implement and operate VINE Protective Order, and handle the technical aspects of the system.
Where will VINE Protective Order be operated?
Forty-one sites in six states have been chosen to participate in the pilot project.
|
|
Why is VINE Protective Order so important?
An individual who petitions for a protective order has already been victimized by violence or threatened with violence. The respondent may lash out in anger at the petitioner for making the violence of their relationship public, further victimizing the petitioner. Knowing when the order is served allows the petitioner to seek safety or call police to arrest the respondent if he violates the terms of the order.
How will the success of the project be measured?
Usage statistics will be collected from each community participating in the VINE Protective Order project. In addition, the Mary Byron Foundation will conduct a survey of petitioners, law enforcement officers, victim advocates, and court personnel on their perceptions of the system. The results will be reported to the Office on Violence Against Women and made public at the end of the project.
About The Mary Byron Foundation
The Mary Byron Foundation funds programs throughout the United States that are working to stop domestic violence. The Foundation is named in memory of a Louisville woman whose murder led to the creation of VINE®, the nation's leading system of automated crime victim notification. Contact us at www.marybyronfoundation.org or toll- free at (866) 264-6684.