I AM A VICTIM-SURVIVOR.

HOW CAN I SIGN UP FOR AUTOMATIC NOTIFICATIONS OF THE STATUS OF AN INCARCERATED PERSON?

If you are the victim or designated family member of the victim of a reported homicide, felony crime of violence, sexual offense, certain vehicular related offenses, offense committed against a family or household member or dating partner (or any attempted crimes of the above types), law enforcement is required to provide you with a copy of the Louisiana Victim Notice and Registration Form, per Louisiana Revised Statute R.S. 46:1844(A)(1). You can ask your District Attorney’s Office Victim Witness Advocate if you have not received this form.

Below is a guide that outlines how you can register online. There are TWO places you can register for notifications.

REGISTER WITH VINE LINK - YOU CAN DO THIS PRIOR TO CONVICTION, WHEN THE ACCUSED IS IN CUSTODY, BUT BEFORE THEY HAVE HAD A TRIAL OR BEEN CONVICTED
REGISTER WITH THE CRIME VICTIM SERVICES BUREAU - YOU CAN DO THIS AFTER CONVICTION/SENTENCING WHEN THEY ARE IN STATE CUSTODY

To clarify, you register with VINE LINK (METHOD 1 above) before there is a trial or conviction to track an incarcerated person’s status at a local jail or prison facility. You can choose to be notified via phone, text, email or teletypewriter (TTY) of any changes in the custody status of an incarcerated person using VINE LINK Here. Follow the steps in the slides below or this Video. Note: if you search for a person and see “Registration has been disabled for this record” that may mean the person is now in the custody of the state after a conviction, which means you should register using METHOD 2:

If there has already been a conviction in your case, you register with the Crime Victims Services Bureau (CVSB) Here with the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections (METHOD 2). Note: sometimes the forms ask for information you may not have, so it may be easier for you to call your District Attorney Victim Witness Advocate - for Orleans Parish you can call (504) 822-2414 - or the state Crime Victim Services Bureau at 1 (888) 342-6110 to have them guide you through the process.

In addition, anyone (including friends and family of incarcerated persons) can use the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections Imprisoned Person Locator service by calling (225) 383-4580 to find out where someone is incarcerated in a state facility (post-conviction). You will need their DOC number.

STEP 1: SIGN UP WITH VINE LINK

Are you a victim-survivor? Would you like to receive automatic updates on the status of an incarcerated person? To get started visit vinelink.com. See the rest of the slides in this series for a step-by-step guide!

Select your state

You can use the “quick exit” button in the upper right corner to escape the website if needed for immediate privacy. Step 2 is to select your state from the dropdown menu.

Choose "Search for Someone"

If you click “Search for Someone” you can find the incarcerated person you want to know more about

Enter their information

Choose either name, Id number, or case number and enter in the information for the incarcerated person. Be sure to uncheck “display offender photos” if you do not want to see their photo.

Review the information

The incarcerated person’s information will come up, including name, age, gender, race, the agency holding the person, their unique ID number, their custody status, and the location they are held. You can choose “Record Details” to find out more information about them including booking date, OR “Get Notified” which is where you can sign up for automatic notifications

Sign up for notifications

If you choose to sign up for notifications, you will receive a text, call, and/or email if the custody status changes, meaning if the person is released or transferred. Click ADD to choose your method of notification. TTY is also available.

Choose your methods

Check the methods of notification you prefer. Note:* If you register for phone call notification as your method, the system will continue to call you until you punch in your pin number and the system knows you’ve listened to the call.

You can check more than one notification method.

Note, per the website:
”All personal information submitted by users of this site will be kept confidential and will be used only for VINE services”

See if you're already registered

You can look up your registrations or see if you’ve registered already if you don’t remember. And, next you will set up a PIN number.

Select a PIN

Select a 4 digit PIN number, re-enter it to confirm, and click “complete registration”.

Registration Complete!

If you see the “registration confirmed” screen, you’re done! What’s next? You will receive a confirmation by whatever method you chose. If you chose a phone notification, you WILL get an automated call, so don’t worry! It’s just a confirmation that you registered. Similarly, you will get a text or email if you selected those formats. Check out “Vine Resource Center” youtube channel for more how-to’s.

STEP 2: SIGN UP WITH CVSB

In addition to VINELINK, you must also sign up with the Crime Victim Services Bureau (CVSB) to ensure no notifications are missed regarding parole or release.

Visit "Victim Services"

Select the “Public Programs” menu and choose “Victim Services”

Click "Reigster Now"

Select the red button labeled “Register Now” to begin the registration process.

Enter your contact information

Fill out your contact information including name, phone, email, address, and whether you are a direct victim, witness, or parent/guardian of a victim/witness. Click “Next”.

Enter the information of the incarcerated person

You will need the name, date of birth, Department of Safety and Corrections (DPS&C or DOC) number, offense, parish of conviction and court docket, length of sentence, and date of sentencing. If you do not have this information, please call 1 (888) 342-6110 to speak with someone.

The above information was sourced from www.vinelink.com and Victim Registration - Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections.

Crime Survivors NOLA is not affiliated with VINELINK or DPS&C. This guide was created for informational purposes only (by volunteers) to assist victim-survivors.

Any questions should be addressed to VINELINK’s 24-hour help line at 1 (866) 277-7477

or DPS&C at 1 (888) 342-6110