Victim Notification

The Texas Constitution (Article I, Section 30) provides victims of violent crime with the right, upon their request, to receive notice about court proceedings and the conviction, sentence, imprisonment, and release of the accused. Local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors have contacts within their offices to provide this information.

Recognizing how important this information is for victims, the Texas Legislature directed the OAG to work with Texas counties and the private sector to implement an automated system to provide offender and court status around the clock. The OAG provides assistance in establishing contracts between county/state entities and the central database company. The system operates by networking status information from participating county and state contractors into a central database operated by a private vendor.

Texas VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday) is the name of the automated system. It provides crime victims with offender status and court information via a toll-free number and website. While Texas VINE is a valuable informational tool, it isn’t a guarantee of safety. Please maintain contact with your local law enforcement and prosecutor’s offices.

Preparing to make your first call

Fill out the information card available on the printable version of this brochure.

• When you first access VINE, you will identify the suspect/offender by entering the person's name as a number. To do this match each letter of the name to a number using the telephone keypad. Use 1 for "Q" and "Z." For example, "John" is 5646.
• You can get the court case number from your local District Attorney's Office.
• The Booking Number is a unique identifying number assigned by law enforcement when a person is booked into the county jail. You will be given the number assigned by law enforcement when a person is booked into the county jail. You will be given the offender's booking number the first time you access the system. If you forget the booking number, you can still access VINE information by entering the person's name in number format.
Select a Personal Identification Number (PIN) that is easy to remember.

Locating information on jail status and court dates

• Call toll-free 1-877-TX4-VINE; 1-877-894-8463 from a touch-tone phone. If calling from a rotary phone, please stay on the line to speak to an operator.
• Follow the voice instructions using the information you wrote on the card on the far right panel of the printable version of this brochure. It will save time when you call again.
• If you need assistance, press zero (0) to speak to an operator when the system prompts you to choose an option.

Registering for notification

Texas VINE allows you to register for automatic notification of court events and changes in county jail status. You may need to register separately for each type of notification.

When you register, you will be asked to provide two things:

1. Phone numbers where you wish to be notified. Register as many numbers as you like, including your home and work phone. Do not register a phone that rings to a receptionist or a switch board.
2. Four-digit PIN (Personal Identification Number). Use the PIN you already have chosen. You may use the same PIN with each phone number you register.

Receiving a notification call

Texas Vine will automatically notify registered persons of suspect/offender status and court event changes. To confirm that you have received the notification, enter your four-digit PIN. Texas VINE will keep calling for 24 hours until this PIN is entered.

Texas VINE automatically notifies registered users in English or Spanish whenever one of the following situations occurs:

• the suspect/offender is released or transferred
• a court event has been set or changed
• there is a change in custody status such as death or escape.