Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2010, $30,000)
The Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification (SAVIN) program ensures victims of crime receive accurate and timely information regarding the status of offenders and events related to their cases. Through SAVIN, victims are able to participate in the judicial process and make sound decisions to protect themselves from further victimization while maintaining total anonymity. This information-sharing capability is also available to courts, corrections, and law enforcement officials.
The State of North Dakota's Information Technology Department will use their 2010 SAVIN Enhancement Grant to provide North Dakota crime victims another means of timely notification regarding important offender status changes. To keep up with technology and new methods of communication, the State of North Dakota will use their enhancement funds to add Short Message Service (SMS), also referred to as text messaging. The solution to add SMS notification capabilities would allow victims to register for an additional method of notification and provide a new mechanism for victims and other registrants to receive notifications. In addition, SMS will greatly benefit the hearing impaired. SMS is more convenient with less hassle and frustration than TTY for this population. The enhancement of adding SMS to ND SAVIN would benefit North Dakota victims and registrants statewide.
CA/NCF