Donna Bush’s brother was killed in 2003 in Elmore County and she said each time his killer is up for parole it’s stressful for her family.

To make things a little easier she signed up for the new Alabama Victim Notification System. It is designed to help victims of crimes and their families receive information about changes to the incarceration status of their offenders.

Bush encouraged other families to do the same.

“When it comes time for parole hearings it’s always a time of anxiety as soon as we get the notice so we’re excited to see this. It was very easy to do and we just appreciate everyone who worked so hard on this,” Bush said.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the launch of the new system Wednesday morning.

State law requires crime victims receive updates on the incarceration status of inmates. The new system allows any victim who is registered receive notice when an inmate is moved to another facility, released from prison, or being considered for parole.

The new system provides updates on the medical release of an inmate, their release for mandatory supervision, an inmate’s participation in a furlough or leave, parole and pardon hearings, parole and pardon decisions, changes in status or custody, and notices of end of sentence or death.

The new system also allows victims to keep current contact information so that they don’t miss the updates.

“The trauma experienced by victims of crime and their families is one that often lasts a lifetime,” Marshall said in a press release. “Our new Victim Notification System will deliver a much needed service to victims and their families as they navigate the criminal justice system.”

Wednesday’s announcement of the new system comes after more than a decade of waiting.

In 2011, then-Attorney General Luther Strange announced the creation of an automated victim notification system and the formation of an Implementation Task Force to develop it.

The initial version of the system was launched in 2014 but was scrutinized last year after many victims were not notified when the state released hundreds of inmates early following the implementation of a 2021 state law. The law requires some inmates to be released under supervision between three and 12 months before their sentences end.

Many inmates who were set to be released in January 2023 had their release dates pushed back after victims weren’t notified, prompting Marshall to file a lawsuit. That lawsuit argued that hundreds of inmate releases should be delayed because of the lack of victim notification.

Darlene Hutchinson Biel, Commissioner of the Alabama Crime Victims Compensation Commission, said this new system was “directly related” to that issue.

“Had this system been in place…we probably wouldn’t have run into some of those issues,” she said during a press conference on Wednesday.

Marshall said the new system notifies victims at the end of an offender’s sentence, which wasn’t available in the previous version. It also takes into account that 2021 law on early release.

The new system “soft launched” on March 4th and has already 2,000 users. Text and email messages were sent out to individuals registered in the previous alerting them to re-register in the new system.

Those interested in using the system to register at: victims.alabama.gov.