If you’ve never heard of MI-VINE, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Most of us here in Michigan have no idea what it is and how it could impact us in the future. With that in mind, we would like to take this opportunity to explain exactly what MI-VINE is, and why recent updates and changes have made it even easier for someone to perform a michigan inmate search.
MI_VINE stands for Michigan Victim Information and Notification Everyday. It is a 24/7 notification system for victims of crimes and concerned citizens. It can be used to stay up to date on the status of offenders in the criminal justice system. It was created in 1994 in response to the death of Mary Byron. She was tragically murdered by her former boyfriend. After Mary’s boyfriend was incarcerated, she and her family were assured that they would be notified when he was released. They weren’t notified, and so Mary had no chance to prepare before he attacked and murdered her after his release.
As you can tell from the name, MI-VINE is the Michigan extension of VINE, which is the nationwide database that communicates with jail and prison booking systems in near real-time. VINE provides members of the public with information about the status of offenders and allows them to see if there has been any chance to that status., Examples of changes include release, escape or transfer. In addition, registered user can set up alerts, so that in the event of a inmate’s release or an escape, they can be immediately notified
Until recently, when someone registered on MI_VINE while an offender was in county jail (awaiting trial or transfer to prison) that registration was only applicable to county jails. Once the offender was moved to prison, the victim would have to register again in order to receive notifications from the state prison system. In many cases, victims did not know that they were required to reregister, and so they would not receive any future notifications about the offender they were keeping tabs on.
A recent update to the system has changed all of that.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has updated MI_VINE to include a new feature which eliminates that extra step. RegistrationLink 2.0 now allows victims and concerned citizens in Michigan to better track someone as they move through the criminal justice system, by linking their cases with their records. This ensures that registrants do not lose track of someone as they move from jail to prison to freedom.
Nick Lyon, the director of the Michigan DHHS, says that RegisrationLink forms an additional layer of security for Michigan residents and victims of crime. “Crime victims deserve a seamless process to track an offender that has been transferred to another correctional facility and the right to know if the offender is due for parole.”
For those of you who may want to register on MI-VINE, call 800-770-7657 or sign up at www.vinelink.com. For those of you who need assistance navigating Michigan’s criminal justice system, whether it’s legal advice, defense against criminal charges, or help with a family law issue, the experienced attorneys of The Kronzek Firm are here 24/7 to help you during your time of need. Don’t wait – call us today at 866 766 5245.