The Crime Victims United app

Know your rights. Follow the bills. Make your voice heard.

A proposal from Crime Victims United

The voice for victims in Sacramento since 1990

Harriet Salarno began fighting for victims after her daughter Catina was murdered in 1979. She co-chaired California’s 1982 Victims’ Bill of Rights and rallied victims’ groups behind Marsy’s Law in 2008. Crime Victims United has carried that fight to the Capitol since its founding in 1990.

This year we launched the California Survivor Action Network and Harriet’s Bill Alert, and we run a Legal Clinic for victims who need court paperwork. All of it lives in email inboxes and on our website. The app puts it in every survivor’s pocket.

2

Victims have rights on paper. Too few ever get to use them.

8.3%

Nationwide, victims got help from a victim service provider in just 8.3% of violent crimes in 2024.

75%

of victims never complete the state form that tells them when an offender is up for parole or released, by an estimate from CDCR’s own victim services office.

10,252

California victim compensation claims were denied last fiscal year. The top reason was not enough evidence or documentation.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Criminal Victimization, 2024, Table 9. CDCR estimate as cited by the Orange County District Attorney in the California Senate Public Safety Committee analysis of AB 1681 (June 2026). California Victim Compensation Board Annual Report, FY 2024-25.

3

One app, three jobs

Help

Victims’ rights explained for each stage of a case, crisis lines that work offline, and local help by county.

Bills

Harriet’s Bill Alert, live. CVU’s position on every bill, where it stands, and who to call about it.

Act

CVU’s campaigns as one-tap actions, with a live count of how many survivors have joined in.

4

Help

Your rights, when you need them

Rights by stageAll 17 Marsy’s Law rights in plain English, sorted by where the person is: right after the crime, investigation, charges, court, sentencing, prison and parole.

Help that works offlineCrisis and emergency lines are stored on the phone. No signal, no problem.

Local help in one tapDA victim services, crisis centers and victim compensation for each county, plus guides to VINE and CDCR release notifications and a request line to CVU’s Legal Clinic.

5

Bills

Harriet’s Bill Alert, in their pocket

Every bill CVU tracksA plain-English summary, CVU’s position, and where the bill stands, updated automatically from the Legislature’s public data.

An alert when it movesMembers follow the bills they care about and get a notification when a vote is coming.

A two-minute callThe app finds their legislators from their address and gives them a script with the bill already filled in.

6

Act

Every action alert, one tap away

Campaigns, not just emailsShare the post, join the hearing, show up at the Capitol. Each step is a button, and members check them off.

Proof of people powerA live count shows how many survivors have taken part, so every new member can see they’re not alone.

CSAN, in one placeJoining the Survivor Action Network takes a minute. Members choose what they hear about and how often.

7

Every member is a constituent

Each member’s address quietly sets their Assembly and Senate districts. CVU staff can send an alert to one county, one district or everyone, and see who acted.

That means CVU can walk into any Capitol office and say exactly how many survivors in that district are watching, and how many called this week.

8

Built for people who’ve been hurt

No account needed for helpRights, crisis lines and local resources never ask who you are.

Quick exit on every screenOne tap swaps the app for an ordinary weather screen.

No location trackingDistricts come from an address the member types once.

Discreet notificationsAlerts can read “New update” instead of the topic.

Never sold, never sharedMember information is used by CVU and no one else.

English and SpanishRights content professionally translated, from day one.

9

Survivors are already reaching for their phones

167,000

people signed up for VINE California custody alerts in 2023 alone. Victims use tools that keep them informed.

91%

of U.S. adults own a smartphone, including 79% of adults 65 and older.

28.5%

of Californians speak Spanish at home, which is why the rights content launches in Spanish too.

Sources: VINE California (info.vinelink.com), 2023 figures. Pew Research Center, Mobile Fact Sheet, 2026. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 1-year, Table C16001, Californians age 5 and older (share computed from published counts).

10

Live in about four months

On iPhone and Android, built and supported by Close Curtain, a Placer County design and software studio.

Weeks 1 to 3

Design and content

Screens finalized with CVU. Rights content written in plain English and reviewed by CVU.

Weeks 4 to 11

Build

The app, the staff console, bill data and legislator lookup. Spanish translation in parallel.

Weeks 12 to 14

Test with survivors

A small group of CSAN members uses it on their own phones. We fix what they find.

Weeks 15 to 16

Launch

Live in the App Store and Google Play. Existing CSAN members are invited first.

11

$56,000 builds it and runs it for a year

App design and buildiPhone and Android app, CVU staff console, bill data and legislator lookup, App Store and Google Play launch	$36,000
First year of support and hostingHosting, security and phone software updates, fixes and help for CVU staff ($750 a month)	$9,000
Spanish translationProfessional translation of all rights and help content	$3,000
CVU program administrationCVU staff time to write and review content, run alerts and grow CSAN	$8,000
Total	$56,000

12

What comes next

Every quarter, CVU will report downloads, CSAN members by district, actions taken, calls to legislators and Legal Clinic requests. Once California is working, the next phase builds on it.

My Case

A private binder on the phone for court dates, contacts, receipts and impact statements. Nothing leaves the phone.

Remembrance wall

Families create a page honoring their loved one, the digital version of the photos carried up the Capitol steps.

Beyond California

Every state has its own victims’ rights and its own legislature. The app is built so new states can be added one at a time.

13

Stand with California’s victims

Nina Salarno, Crime Victims United
mail@crimevictimsunited.com · (530) 885-9544

Try the prototype

cvu-app.pages.dev