Kentucky victims left in the dark on court notices about their offenders

FRANKFORT, Ky. — On Thursday, July 18, lawmakers spoke with members of the state’s court system about an issue they say has been going on for three years.

Kentucky victims aren’t being notified about their offenders’ whereabouts in court.

Vine, or victim information and notification everyday, is a system Kentucky’s court system used for 14 years to notify victims about their offenders.

Judge Chris Cohron said during the committee meeting that in some situations, it has saved victim’s lives.

“It is not unusual for me during a criminal docket to inquire of the commonwealth: has the victim been notified of this hearing? Is the victim aware of the resolution in this case? We’re wanting to make sure,” Cohron said.

The system is still used by the Department of Corrections to notify about incarceration status 

But it hasn’t been used for court hearings since 2021. Katie Comstock,executive director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, said that’s because, at the time, her office became concerned about allowing Appriss access to all court data.

Appriss, which administered the program, has since been bought by Equifax.

“We help victims and their families become safer and more informed through timely offender release, court cases and protective order notifications,” said Ali Mock, director of government relations for Equifax.

Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Middletown, questioned Comstock about what they delay has been on getting a notification system up and running.

“At the end of the day, this is now three years the court system has decided to stop notifying our people. It’s their responsibility to do it and they’re not doing it,” Nemes said. “This is a problem that should have been fixed. It has not been fixed. I don’t know how much more we can express our dismay.”

Comstock said the office of the courts has had recent discussions with Equifax about a path forward to start notifying again victims about court hearings.

Equifax says it could have the system up and running in 45 days if it’s allowed access to data. Comstock said it would cost $500,000 for a one time implementation fee, and another $360,000 for a service fee for the first 12 months.

“I want to emphatically reiterate that our organization does not retain search history, or engage in any unauthorized use of registered victim information,” said Jarrod Carnahan, vice president of government and Victim Services for Equifax.

However, the Kentucky Prosecutors Advisory Council is also working on its own case management system. Comstock said it might be better for the courts to rely on this system.

“The prosecutors’ new system, it’s undoubtedly an option for providing court notification to victims. We already share many data points with prosecutors,” Comstock said.

Currently, prosecutors are notifying victims themselves through phone calls and texts.

“As a case manager, calling folks on a regular basis can get tedious, and so if there is a way we can expedite making sure there is some type of automated system,” said Rep. Keturah Herron, D-Louisville.

Members of the committee agreed it’s not the most efficient use of time.

Equifax says, in 2023, individuals conducted more than 1.2 million searches using Kentucky Vine. And more than 200,000 people registered for notifications.