Jeff Linden
“MERIT was formally born on the 3rd July 2000 and immediately became the subject of an arranged marriage between the Northern Rivers Area Health Service* and the Attorney General's Department via Lismore Local Court.
Subsequently in a radio interview I referred to it as a perfect marriage between the Criminal Justice System and Health. After 4 years of operation I am happy to be in a position to not in any way resile from that comment.
If no other lesson is learnt from the creation of MERIT it is that the Court and Health can co exist with a joint commitment to the treatment of drug afflicted people without compromising their respective individual roles. At Lismore there has been, and I hope will continue to be, professional and mutually agreeable liaison between the respective groups.
The Lismore trial has demonstrated that government bodies can work more effectively together to achieve greater outcomes in terms of their own goals, increase community protection but also increase the effective treatment for offenders with drug problems.
I understand that MERIT has now been made available State wide and I wholly commend that. It Works!”
Jeff Linden
Senior Magistrate
Lismore Court Circuit
* now part of the North Coast Area Health Service