TodayPerry County joins state-wide notification system
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Article RatingFor crime victims, knowing a prisoner’s status can be the difference between restful and sleepless nights, between a daily routine and serious action.
The Perry County Prison is now part of the program making that peace of mind possible -- the Pennsylvania Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification system.
With the new program, anyone can register to get phone calls or e-mails when an offender escapes, is released or is transferred to another facility.
Counties not in the network are still required by state law to offer some type of victim notification, such as letters or phone calls from victim services or prison employees, said Andrea Warner of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association.
The difference, she said, is that human callers could be busy with other tasks, but the automated system can keep calling until the message is received.
County by county
Perry County is 35th in the state’s county-by-county implementation of SAVIN, which is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. Cumberland County joined in January.
Pennsylvania is one of 34 states across the country working to implement the program statewide.
Light years ahead
The SAVIN system is tied to the county prison’s record system, which means the calls and e-mails go out as soon as officials enter the release or transfer date.
Notification could come at the time of the status change or a few days before, depending on when the information is entered, said Rhonda Hendrickson, victim witness coordinator for Perry County.
However, because the system is triggered by a part of the release process, notification will always be made close to the release date, Andrea Warner said.
“You might get a call a few minutes later, but you wouldn’t get a call an hour later, you wouldn’t get a call a day later,” she said.
By expanding the service to everyone, the system protects both past victims and the community at large, said B. J. Horn, director of victim services with the state Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
That means a victim’s family and friends can be ready to help right away if necessary, and victims’ co-workers can be prepared if a former inmate shows up at the office.
Police can also be aware of any potential danger and know to patrol the area around a victim’s home more carefully, Horn said.
Began in 1994
The push for notification systems like PA SAVIN started in 1994 when a Kentucky woman was killed by an ex-boyfriend who was released from prison without her knowledge.
“The day you implement SAVIN, you will be light years ahead of where you were the day before,” Horn said, quoting a woman she met at Cumberland County’s launch of the program.
SAVIN hasn’t made it everywhere, but it’s on its way.
Two central Pennsylvania counties still working to join are York and Lebanon counties, which Andrea Warner said will probably come online in the next few months.
She said there was also some interest in expanding the services to include text messaging, which exploded as a notification medium after the Virginia Tech shootings in April 2007.
