{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,19]],"date-time":"2023-11-19T00:16:42Z","timestamp":1700353002333},"reference-count":12,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2009,5,29]],"date-time":"2009-05-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1243555200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":2371,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Drug and Alcohol Review"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2002,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:p>The purpose of this paper is to present a description and preliminary findings of a 12\u2010month 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\u2010third (33%) completed the programme and one\u2010third (33%) remained in treatment. Main treatment interventions were case management and out\u2010patient 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.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1080\/0959523021000023261","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2003,1,17]],"date-time":"2003-01-17T03:27:27Z","timestamp":1042774047000},"page":"393-396","update-policy":"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":9,"title":["Magistrates' Early Referral into Treatment (MERIT): preliminary findings of a 12\u2010month court diversion trial for drug offenders"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"DAVID","family":"REILLY","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"JOHN","family":"SCANTLETON","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"PETER","family":"DIDCOTT","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2009,5,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_1_2_2","first-page":"213","article-title":"Australian drug courts","volume":"24","author":"Frieberg A.","year":"2000","journal-title":"Criminal Law Review"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_3_2","volume-title":"The illicit drug problem: drug courts and other alternative approaches","author":"Swain M.","year":"1999"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/09595230120079594"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_5_2","volume-title":"NSW Drug Summit 1999: Government Plan of Action","author":"New South Wales Government.","year":"1999"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_6_2","volume-title":"Lismore MERIT Program: Magistrates' Early Referral into Treatment Program","author":"New South Wales Attorney General's Department.","year":"2000"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_7_2","first-page":"25","article-title":"The MERIT program: a holistic approach to drug offenders","volume":"13","author":"Linden J.","year":"2001","journal-title":"Judicial Officers' Bull"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/09595230120058500"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_9_2","unstructured":"ScantletonJ. LindenJ. BoultonB. Didcott P.MERIT: Magistrates' early referral into treatment program: a cooperative approach addressing drug addiction and recidivism. Paper presented at the Second Australasian Conference on Drug Strategy Perth WA May 2002."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0376-8716(83)90005-4"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_11_2","volume-title":"A brief cognitive behavioural\u2010intervention for cannabis dependence: therapists' treatment manual","author":"Rees V.","year":"1998"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_12_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/002204260103100104"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_13_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/002204260003000210"}],"container-title":["Drug and Alcohol Review"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/api.wiley.com\/onlinelibrary\/tdm\/v1\/articles\/10.1080%2F0959523021000023261","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/api.wiley.com\/onlinelibrary\/tdm\/v1\/articles\/10.1080%2F0959523021000023261","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1080\/0959523021000023261","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,18]],"date-time":"2023-11-18T10:42:53Z","timestamp":1700304173000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1080\/0959523021000023261"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2002,12]]},"references-count":12,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2002,12]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1080\/0959523021000023261"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/0959523021000023261","archive":["Portico"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["0959-5236","1465-3362"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0959-5236","type":"print"},{"value":"1465-3362","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2002,12]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2009-05-29","order":2,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}]}}