Victim Notification System

        The Department of Justice is committed to insuring that victims of federal crime are treated fairly as their case moves through the criminal justice system. To provide victims of federal crimes with information on case events, the Department of Justice has developed the Victim Notification System (VNS). VNS is a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Attorneys’ Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The VNS is a free, computer/web-based system that provides information to victims throughout the criminal justice process. While the case is in the prosecution stage, the VNS provides information and notification to identified victims of case events, including the filing of charges against a suspected offender, scheduled court proceedings, imposed sentence, restitution information, and post-sentencing proceedings (i.e., appeal information). After sentencing, the VNS continues notification during the corrections phase of the case if the defendant is ordered incarcerated within the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Additional information regarding the VNS is located in the brochure linked below.
VNS Brochure