The SAVIN Victim Notification System sounds like a good idea.. But is Lemuel "Hit and Run" Payne the best example of an ex-con that anybody really needs to be frightened of upon his release?

The death of 16-year-old Faith Sinclair was a tragic accident. Payne didn't mean to kill her. It was his fleeing the scene and trying to avoid detection that led more serious criminal charges to be filed against him.

A better example of why this system is a good idea would be a victim of a violent criminal bent on revenge who was released without their knowledge.

Someone like Mary Byron, the 21-year-old who was killed by her ex-boyfriend in Kentucky after his release from jail in 1994. The system was invented specifically for cases like that one. Or 23-year-old Andrea Arrington who was murdered by Aaron Michael after she sought a protection from abuse order. But then, Michael hadn't been in custody and Andrea knew he was at large when he showed up and killed her.

No disrespect to Karen Farrell but the idea that her family has anything to fear from Lemuel Payne upon his release seems pretty far-fetched.

I wonder too if anyone will use the system to find out when an ex-con has been released from prison so that THEY can get even. It appears to me that you don't have to be a victim to use the system.

I just went online to find out how to register and this is what it said.

STEP 1: Call (866) 972-7284 from a touch-tone phone or click here. TTY users please call
(866) 847-1298.

STEP 2: If the offender is in custody, you can leave your phone number to be called if that offender is released, transferred or escapes from custody. Enter the phone number where you want to be reached, including area code, followed by the # key.

STEP 3: When the service asks, enter a four-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN) code that will be easy for you to remember. Write it down and keep your PIN code somewhere safe. The service will ask for the PIN code when it calls you.

STEP 4: If the service calls, listen to the message. When asked, enter your PIN code plus the # key. Entering the PIN code lets the service know that you got the call, and will stop the service from calling you again.

In any case, it sure sounds like you don't have to be a victim to use the system, just interested in a particular prisoner. You got a beef with a guy who got sent up and you want to be notified when he's released? The system will work for you too. Call it an unintended benefit.