Sheriff's Office Online With VINE

     Mason County Sheriff Wayne Youell announced today that the recent jail software upgrade has enabled the Mason County Sheriff’s Office to move forward and efficiently use a State of Illinois Automated Victim Notification System interface called VINE. “I am very supportive of the Illinois Automated Victim Notification (AVN) system and excited that the citizens of Mason County can now use this free service to get updated information on perpertators who have been charged with crimes in our area. If you are a victim of a crime, AVN should be a part of you and your family’s safety plan.” said Sheriff Youell. “Information is power and power gives victims peace of mind.”
     The Automated Victim Notification System is a service sponsored by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. The system provides crime victims and concerned citizens with information regarding case and/custody status of offenses where the perpetrator has been incarcerated or charged with a crime. AVN is a toll-free, 24-hour automated telephone service that provides either information and/or notification.
     On the service’s information side, AVN provides victims and concerned citizens a toll-free telephone number where they can call and get up-to-date information on the custody status and/or case status of an offender. Illinois AVN operates through interfaces with jail booking systems, the Illinois Department of Corrections, Illinois Department of Human Services and the Circuit Court Clerks throughout the state.
     On the notification side of the service, callers may choose to register for automatic notification through Illinois AVN. People selecting this option, will receive notification of any change in an inmate’s status. Persons registered for court information will receive notification of any change of case status. Victims and concerned citizens select the telephone number(s) where they wish to be notified and a PIN to be used to confirm the receipt of the notification.
     What you need to know about the Illinois Automated Victim Notification System?
·      The toll-free number is 1-866-566-8439 or 1866-5-NOTIFY. To access the VINE website click here. ·      The offender will not know you are registered with Illinois AVN. ·      If you are not home, Illinois AVN will leave a message on an anwering machine. If there is no answer, Illinois AVN will keep calling back at regular intervals. ·      Since Illinois AVN calls automatically when an offender is released from custody, notification calls may come in the middle of the night. ·      You may register up to two telephone numbers with Illinois AVN. Do not register a number that rings to a switchboard. ·      If your telephone system lets you block calls from unknown numbers, your calls from Illinois AVN will be blocked. You must disable the blocking feature to use Illinois AVN.

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