Eligibility
To be eligible for entry into the MERIT program, defendants must be:
- Suitable for release on bail
- An adult with a drug problem
- Willing to consent to a drug treatment program
- Not involved in offences related to serious physical violence or sexual assault, or matters that are wholly indictable and will be heard in the District Court
- Not involved in pending matters of a physical/sexual assault matter
- Deemed suitable for drug treatment, and have a treatable problem
- Approved to participate in the program by the Magistrate.
Agreement to become involved in the MERIT program is not an admission of guilt of the offences for which the client has been charged. Participation in MERIT is generally prior to any pleas being made, with the adjournment of court matters until completion of the program.
If Eligible, What Next?
Participants attend an assessment process with the MERIT Team to establish the significance of their drug use issues. In consultation with the participant, an individual treatment program will then be developed. The participant’s acceptance into the program is endorsed by the Magistrate at the first court appearance at which time bail, incorporating MERIT conditions, is set.