NCJ Number
234517
Date Published
October 2006
Length
44 pages
Annotation
This report presents recommendations and standards for planning, implementing, and operating an effective Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification (SAVIN) Program.
Abstract
In 2005, Congress established a grant program that provides initial funding and guidelines for States to plan and implement or improve SAVIN programs. The U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) administers the grant program. The IJIS Institute was selected by BJA to develop and publish national standards for these programs. The overall goal of the SAVIN program is to increase public safety and deliver many of the basic victim notification rights provided by 33 State constitutional amendments and hundreds of State statutes across the Nation, as well as the Federal Justice for All Act signed into law in 2004. The SAVIN program will increase public safety and improve basic criminal justice decisions by ensuring that victims are given timely and accurate information that enhances their ability to protect themselves and ensure they are prepared to participate fully in the criminal justice process if they so choose. Project objectives are to use existing SAVIN practitioners in identifying and leveraging best practices for SAVIN programs; to create victim-focused principles that States can follow when implementing SAVIN programs; and to require SAVIN programs to comply with the appropriate national standards established for sharing criminal justice information. This document presents the guidelines and standards for planning, managing, and operating a successful SAVIN program. Key information is presented for the development of a program plan and proven strategies in effectively managing it. This document includes a set of technology standards intended to ensure that SAVIN programs conform to national criminal justice information-sharing standards.