VINE on NBC tonight
The Mary Byron Project, fostering innovations and strategies to end domestic violence, is proud to announce that VINE will have a cameo appearance tonight, November 2, on the popular NBC program, “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”.
VINE, victim information and notification everyday, was invented and implemented in Louisville, Kentucky as a result of Mary Byron’s murder in 1993. Mary was murdered by her former boyfriend who, she thought, was safely behind bars as a result of her rape and assault at his hands. He was bailed out, stalked her, and murdered her as she left her workplace on her 21st birthday. Had VINE been a service at that time, she would have known he had been released and would have sought safety and protection.
VINE allows crime victims to check on the status of their offender 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and to register to be notified when the offender is released or has some other change in their custody status (escape, transfer, court appearance, etc.). Registration is free at www.vinelink.com.
Appriss, the provider of the VINE service explained how VINE made it to network TV. “This is quite a thrill for us,” said Michael Davis, Appriss CEO. “The show’s producers approached us and asked permission to use VINE in an episode and we were more than happy to give it to them. It’ll be fantastic exposure and hopefully will lead to more crime victims registering so they can stay informed about the status of their offender, which will bring some peace of mind and help keep them safer.”
In Wednesday’s “Law & Order” episode, a female crime victim receives a call from VINE, notifying her that her offender has been released, giving her the opportunity to take action to protect herself. A link to more information about the VINE service will also be included on the show’s website: www.nbc.com/law-and-order-special-victims-unit, plus there will be an item about the service on the producer’s blog.
The Mary Byron Project hopes that this exposure of a proven, valuable service will save victims who might not have been aware of VINE’s existence.
The Mary Byron Project began in 2000 to look for innovations and strategies, like VINE, that can end the generational cycle of domestic violence. Each year since 2003, organizations throughout the country have been awarded our Celebrating Solutions award for innovations that all communities throughout the country should adopt. It is our hope that we can end this epidemic crime by looking beyond crisis management and reaching for solutions, like VINE, that can make an impact.
Make sure you watch for VINE tonight on NBC. And make sure you have VINE in your community.