title: Magistrates' Early Referral into Treatment (MERIT): preliminary findings of a 12-month court diversion trial for drug offenders.
abstract: The purpose of this paper is to present a description and preliminary findings of a 12-month trial of a Local Court diversion programme, called MERIT for Magistrates' Early Referral into Treatment. The aim of MERIT is to divert eligible drug offenders to treatment and rehabilitation services. A total of 172 offenders were assessed and 131 entered the programme. The sources of referral were court (58%), police (17%) and self (10%). Main problem drugs were heroin (57%), cannabis (21%) and amphetamines (11%). The majority (85%) had previous convictions and 50% had been in jail. At the end of the trial period one-third (33%) completed the programme and one-third (33%) remained in treatment. Main treatment interventions were case management and out-patient counselling, detoxification, residential rehabilitation and methadone maintenance. Police records showed that of the original 43 (33%) graduates only six had come to police notice, mainly for relatively minor offences. Early acceptance and preliminary results has led to an expansion of the MERIT programme across New South Wales. With the rapid expansion of drug courts and diversion programmes across Australia, descriptive studies are useful to provide beneficial data to assist policy makers and service providers to develop programmes.
authors.affiliation: Drug and Alcohol Services, Northern Rivers Area Health Service, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Reilly
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Scantleton
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Didcott
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033222:Judicial Role; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors