Victims, residents can track prisoners

The S.C. Department of Corrections is making it easy for residents to track criminals in local jails with a Web site and phone program that contains information about their location.

You also can sign up for phone and e-mail alerts to let you know when a detainee is transferred or released.

The program stems from a state law that requires jailers to notify crime victims about the whereabouts of their crime perpetrators. But the Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification program can be used by anyone.

Local jails will be linked to the program in the next few weeks. Stephanie Cassavaugh, program manager, hopes that soon every county detention center and prison camp in the state will be aboard.

It's a big time-saver for agencies, such as the Dorchester County Detention Center, where officials have had to call victims manually to inform them about the release of a detainee, Cassavaugh said. She said the county should be linked to the SAVIN

network next week, and once jail officials enter prisoner information, the system automatically will make the call and/or send out an e-mail to not only the victim but also to anyone who signs up to be notified.

Cassavaugh said that by year's end, the system also could be able to send out text messages.

Charleston and Colleton counties should be linked by sometime in July, Cassavaugh said. She said Berkeley County is working out some kinks related to a jail expansion, and hopefully will be coming aboard as well.

SAVIN provides the statewide information, but it is linked to the nationwide VINELink.com search and notification system, Cassavaugh said.

Reach Nadine Parks at 937-5573 or nparks@postandcourier.com.