Gov. Susana Martinez
Gov. Susana Martinez has set aside $120,000 to help keep a statewide victim notification system operational while district attorneys and local governments look for a way to sustain it in the long run.
Spokesman Scott Darnell confirmed that Martinez earmarked federal stimulus money for the VINE, or Victim Information and Notification Everyday, system.
“The stimulus allocation allows the VINE system to be funded for an additional three months, providing ample time to work with local entities on a way to ensure longer-term, recurring funding for a victim notification program that does not replace the use of victim advocates and the relationship they are able to build with victims,” Darnell said.
VINE can continue through November with current funding. While federal funding for the system dried up on June 30, the stimulus funds will pay for July, August and September. The company that provides the VINE system has offered to provide two free months of service to New Mexico after that.
The funds Martinez has earmarked for VINE from the stimulus package approved by Congress and President Barack Obama and must be spent by Sept. 30. The Martinez administration has been reviewing appropriations made by former Gov. Bill Richardson and de-allocating some because it determined the money wasn’t being spent wisely or wouldn’t be spent before Sept. 30.
In addition to giving money to VINE, Martinez also set aside $131,000 this week for new servers for the state police and $250,000 for the state fair. Darnell said the state’s stimulus fund has about $95,000 that’s not currently earmarked for any project.
The VINE system has two components. The first tracks inmates housed in many county jails and lets people sign up for phone, text or e-mail alerts when they’re released. The second tracks criminal court cases and sends notification about hearings.
Both are designed to keep crime victims informed and safe. They are also used by others including family members of those charged with crimes, witnesses, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and the media.
Earlier this year, Martinez pocket vetoed a bill that would have continued the program after June 30 by implementing a fee of up to 35 cents per call a jail inmate makes to anyone other than his or her attorney.
That has left the state’s district attorneys scrambling to save the system. Martinez wants local governments to provide funding, and DAs and the New Mexico Association of Counties are discussing that possibility. The DAs are also developing an in-house system to replace the VINE courts component that may be implemented instead.
There’s currently no backup plan to replace the jails component of VINE if it isn’t funded after November.