Database launched for crime victims

The U.S. Justice Department has set up a new database system to keep crime victims updated on cases. The Victim Notification System, launched Tuesday, is a joint project of the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, all units of the Justice Department. GRC International, a subsidiary of AT&T, was awarded the contract to develop the system in July 2000. The VNS allows victims and their families or guardians to be notified of each step in a case, including arrest, trial date and incarceration. Victims can be notified through letter, e-mail, fax or pager, and can call an 800 number to get updates. The system uses an Oracle database and allows caseworkers to enter data through a Web interface, she said. It handles information for more than 80,000 victims, including 3,000 victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. --Margaret Kane, Special to ZDNet News