1-888-VINE-4NY
Crime victims as well as all other New Yorkers can now use their touch-tone phones
to make toll-free calls to get information about convicted felony offenders in
the custody of the Department of Correctional Services (DOCS), the state's prison system.
New Yorkers can obtain that information free through VINE -
Victim Information and Notification Everyday - available around-the-clock in both English
and Spanish.
VINE provides crime and release data on all prison inmates.
To get information, you must:
- Contact the prosecuting District Attorney's Office to get the inmate's New York
State Identification Number (NYSID) or date of birth.
- Call VINE from a touch-tone phone: 1-888-VINE-4NY(1-888-846-3469).
- Provide the offender's NYSID number, or full name and date of birth or DOCS'
identification number.
VINE - it's now the law!
VINE was enacted by the state Legislature in 1998 as part of
Governor Pataki's Jenna's Law, which ended discretionary parole for first-time
violent felony offenders.
This law authorizes crime victims as well as all other New Yorkers to receive
information relating to the crime, sentence and release date of persons serving sentences
in state prison.
You may also register with VINE for automatic notification by
telephone if the inmate is released.
To register when calling VINE, you will be asked to provide:
- The phone number at which you wish to be notified.
- A four-digit Personal Identification Number that you select to allow VINE
to confirm your identity and to keep your identity confidential.
For additional information and on-line inmate
look-up, contact
NYS Department of Correctional Services
Office of Victim Services
The Harriman State Campus
1220 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12226-2050
1-800-783-6059
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