VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday) Inmate Search: Find an Inmate Online

Inmate Searches Using VINE

VINE stands for Victim Information and Notification Everyday and is a free service that allows people to use the Internet to search for information regarding their offender's custody status Victims of crimes can also access this information via the telephone and register to receive telephone and email notification when their offender's custody status changes. To search for inmates or to register to receive notification about the custody status of an offender, go to VINELink (www.vinelink.com).

Currently, VINE is available in forty states. However, while a state might make VINE available, participate is on a county-by-county basis. Not all counties choose to participate in VINE. VINELink provides information regarding offenders who are currently in custody or who may have been recently released from custody. Information about inmates is deleted about two weeks after the person is released. Also, VINE does not include information about inmates who are located in federal prisons.

To use VINELink to search for an offender in custody, go to www.vinelink.com and click on the state in which the offender is housed (even if this is different from the state in which the inmate was sentenced). Located in the left navigational frame are two options. Since it is unlikely that you know the Offender ID, choose "Search for Offender by Name." In the Search for Offender screen, you will need to enter the full last name and all or part of the first name into the search boxes. It will not do partial last name searches.

Once you have entered the search parameters, you will find a table that lists the last name, first name, date of birth, custody status, facility/reason, and the supervising agency. Next to the last name is the word "detail." Click on detail and you can find out the race and gender of the individual and register to receive information about the inmate if his status changes. Pictures of the individual are not available on VINE.

VINE does not provide as much detail about offenders as the state databases do, but it does a good job of doing what it is designed to do: notify victims of an offender's release. It should only be used for inmate searches as a last resort.

VINE receives information about inmates at least twice a day directly from the institution in which they are housed. However, they do not guarantee accuracy and suggest that if accurate information is needed, the individual correctional facility should be contacted.

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