Have you or someone you know been a victim of a crime?

24-hour toll-free hotline:

1-866-566-8439

History of VINE:

The National Vine Call Center was created first for the Jefferson County, KY, Corrections Department in response to the murder of a young woman at the hands of her ex-boyfriend. 21 year-old Mary Byron was gunned down by Donovan Harris after he was released from jail without her knowledge. Harris had been arrested two weeks earlier for kidnapping Byron and raping her at gunpoint.

What is VINE?

VINE is a free, 24-hour, automated telephone service that will allow you to:

• Check on an inmate's custody status.
• Register to receive automatic notification when an inmate leaves the custody of the Will
• County Adult Detention Facility.

How Do I Use VINE?

• You can locate an inmate using either the name or CIMIS (Correctional Institution Management Information System) number of the inmate.
  
• A series of computer prompts will assist you in locating the inmate.
  
• VINE will give you inmate custody information and the option of registering for automatic telephone notification if the inmate is released or transferred.

How do I register with VINE?

After locating the inmate, choose the option number for registration.

You need to provide:

• The telephone number where you wish to be notified.
  
• A 4-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN Code).
  
• Once registered, VINE will automatically call you when the inmate is released or transferred.
  
• VINE will call you at regular intervals for up to 24 hours or until you enter your 4-digit PIN code.

What is a PIN Code?

• Your 4-digit PIN code is used by the VINE service to confirm that you received the proper notification
• You should choose a number that is easy to remember and write it down.
• When VINE calls, you will need to enter your PIN code at the end of the notification message.
• Entering your correct PIN is the only way to stop additional notification calls during the 24-hour period.a PIN Code?

Important VINE facts:

• VINE will call you automatically if the inmate is released or transferred. Be aware that you may receive a call from VINE any time, day or night.
• All telephone registrations through the VINE hotline are anonymous. No one can access you telephone number or PIN code.
• You must use a touch-tone phone to inquire about custody status or register for notification.
• No one can change or cancel your registration.
• You may register more than one phone number. Use the same PIN code for each registration.
• If you have an answering machine or message service, VINE will leave a message and call back within 2 hours.
• You may call VINE as often as you want from any location to check on an inmate's custody status.
• The VINE service is available in English and Spanish.
• For further information on VINE, call the Will County Sheriff's Office at 815-740-5560.

Orders of Protection

An Order of Protection is a court order available to "family or household members" prohibiting the abuser from certain activities or ordering the abuser to take certain actions. An Order of Protection may include, but is not limited to:

Prohibiting an abuser from continued threats and abuse: ABUSE: physical abuse, harassment, intimidation, interference with personal liberty or willful deprivation, not including the reasonable direction of a minor child by a parent or person acting in place of a parent.

Barring an abuser temporarily from the home and ordering the abuser to stay away from the victim's place of employment, school, etc.;

Ordering the abuser to pay child support, medical costs and legal expenses;

Awarding child custody and prohibiting child abduction and requiring abuser to undergo counseling.

To obtain an Order of Protection, you may do any of the following:

Contact a nearby domestic violence or legal advocacy program and ask for assistance.

Go to your local circuit clerk's office and request the necessary paperwork;

Ask your attorney to file a petition in civil court;

Request an order in conjunction with divorce proceedings; or

Request an order during the course of a criminal prosecution.

If an Order of Protection is violated, the abuser has committed a Class A Misdemeanor and should be arrested. A second or subsequent offense is a Class 4 Felony. You may seek an Order of Protection on behalf of someone who cannot because of age, health, or disability.

Procedure to Obtain Emergency Orders of Protection

1. Go to Office of the Circuit Clerk-Room212, Will County Courthouse
1. Request from Clerk the following forms: Forms 10A, 10B, 10C, and 11A, 11B, and 11C.
2. Ask the Clerk to direct you to the court personnel who will assist you with the proper completion of these forms. ( Assistance can be obtained in the cubicle located at the entrance of Room 212.)
3. After forms are completed, the person helping you will return the forms to the Clerk, who will then make up a file.
4. Clerk then escorts Petitioner to the Courtroom
2. Appearance before Judge
   1. If Emergency Orders of Protection is granted by Judge:
   1. The Judge will assign a return date and time for an Extension Hearing. ( A copy of the Petition and Order of Protection will be provided with the return date information, " do not leave without it").
   2. The date will be 14 to 21 days after the issuance of the Emergency Orders of Protection.
   3. The time will be 9:30 a.m., in Courtroom 307.
   2. If Emergency Order of Protection is not granted by Judge:
      1. The Judge sets a Hearing Date instead of issuing an Emergency Orders of Protection. A time (9:30 a.m.) and date (within 21 days from filing date) is set in courtroom 307. At the time, date, and place, a Hearing will be held to determine whether an Order of Protection will be granted.
3. Circuit Clerk's Office
   1. A Clerk then sends the Order of Protection of the Hearing Notice to the Sheriff.
      1. The Sheriff will serve the Respondent with the Order of Protection or Notice of Hearing. Through this service the Respondent is made aware of the remedies under the Order with time and date of the Extension Hearing or Hearing.
   2. B. Service outside Will County
      1. Clerk prepares 3 additional copies of the Order of Protection and gives them to the Petitioner.
      2. Petitioner must take these copies to the Sheriff's Office in the county where the Respondent resides so that the Sheriff in that county can serve the Respondent.
      3. Request that the Sheriff mail back to you the "Proof of Service." Or, you can arrange to pick it up to assure that you have the document in time to present it to the Judge at the Extension hearing.
      4. This document is the Petitioner's proof that the Respondent was served with the Order of Protection, and is very important because it shows the court that the Respondent was served.
4. Extension Hearing/Hearing
   1. When you return to court on the date and time indicated on the Order of Protection, go to Court room 307, look for a list with your name on it under the heading "Order of Protection," go into the Courtroom and wait for the Judge to call your name.
   2. If you ( the Petitioner) do not appear, the Order will be dismissed. make sure you appear, even if you intend to drop the Order of Protection. This is an important part of the proceedings.
   3. You ( Petitioner) should bring witnesses and/or proof of the abuse, such as pictures. You may ask the Judge to:
      1. Extend the Order
         Charge parts of it; or
         Drop the Order.
   4. You may bring an attorney, but one is not required.
   5. The Respondent may appear with or without an attorney. At this time Respondent will tell his/her part of the story.
   6. After hearing statements of both parties, the Judge may end the proceedings or extend the Order of Protection up to two years.
5. Be sure to return for every extension date the Judge sets, even if you want to drop the Order of Protection.

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Victim Assistance Services

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The following agencies provide a variety of victim services:

Will County State's Attorney's Office
121 N. Chicago St.
Joliet, IL 60432
Victim/Witness Advocate
815-727-8819

Groundwork
1550 Plainfield Road
Joliet, IL 60435
815-729-1228

Family Counseling Agency of Will County
2317 West Jefferson, Suite 126
Joliet, IL 60435
815-741-0846

Will County Legal Assistance
5 East Van Buren, Suite 310
Joliet, IL 60432
815-727-5123

Illinois Department of Corrections
Dora Larson
Victim Assistance Services Coordinator
1301 Concordia Court, P.O. Box 19277
Springfield, IL 62794-9277
217-522-2666, ext. 4006

Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault
217-753-4117

NOVA
National Organization for Victim Assistance
1-800-TRY-NOVA

National Victim Center
1-800-FYI-CALL