​VINE began as a result of Mary Byron being murdered on the evening of December 6, 1993. It was Mary's 21st birthday and while she was sitting in her car waiting for it to warm up, her former boyfriend who she believed was still in custody approached her with a gun and fired shots at close range, into Mary's head and chest.

Mary had no idea that she was in danger because she believed that her boyfriend was still in jail on charges of raping, assaulting and stalking her earlier that year. Due to the nature of the charges, Mary's family requested that the jail staff notify them upon his release. Unfortunately, they were not notified.

Mary's parents, who continue to be persistent and determined to not let this happen to anyone else, were instrumental in the development of a system that would notify victims of the releases of their offender. This system is called V.I.N.E. (Victim Information and Notification Everyday) and it was implemented in Jefferson County one year after Mary's death.

In February 1996, the Kentucky Department of Corrections implemented the first ever statewide victim notification system. In the following year, the Department of Corrections consolidated these services under the Office of Victim Services, now called the Victim Service Branch,​ and VINE quickly became the cornerstone of the services offered.

Mary Byron Foundation

The Mary Byron Project was created in 2000 in memory of the young woman whose tragic murder led to the creation of the automated crime victim notification technologies. As a nationally recognized thought leader on domestic and dating violence, the Mary Byron Project cultivates and supports efforts that extend beyond crisis management to attack the root cause of the epidemic and help build safer, healthier communities.

Mary Byron Foundation
10401 Linn Station Road
Louisville, KY 40223
Toll Free: (866) 264-6684
Fax: (502) 212-0868
info@marybyronproject.org