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ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Daily News
District Attorney Lynne Abraham holds a news conference at her office in Center City yesterday to discuss a new program that will keep crime victims informed of inmates' statuses.
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Crime victims can now access inmate information
Crime victims in Philadelphia now have another place they can turn to for solace.
The Pennsylvania Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification - or PA SAVIN - system was unveiled yesterday to help victims determine where offenders are being held within the county prison system.
PA SAVIN allows citizens to receive information regarding an inmate's release, transfer or escape 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by calling and registering by phone or online.
"PA SAVIN is a tool to empower victims of crime and enhance the one-on-one counseling and outreach that victim advocates already do," said Walter Phillips, chairman of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
Phillips was joined yesterday by District Attorney Lynne Abraham; Louis Giorla, commissioner of the Philadelphia Prison System; and representatives of victim-advocacy groups to announce the launch of the system in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia is the 26th county in Pennsylvania to use the SAVIN system. All 63 counties in the state are expected to be online with the SAVIN system by the end of October, Phillips said.
The Philadelphia County Prison System has six prisons, housing more than 9,000 inmates, all of whom will be searchable through PA SAVIN, said Robert Eskind, spokesman for the prisons.
Appriss Inc., a Louisville, Ky.-based technology company, will be implementing the SAVIN service, which is funded by a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance within the U.S. Department of Justice.
Call 1-866-9PA-SAVIN or visit www.pacrimevictims.state.pa.us to register.
