Merrill presides over the Syracuse Drug Court, located on the first floor of the Syracuse Public Safety Building. On Tuesday, 49 offenders were brought before the judge. Those entering drug court for the first time were met with applause from Merrill. However, the judge was unsympathetic to offenders who brought children with them."Don't bring your kids with you to the courtroom," Merrill said. "I won't hesitate to lock you up with your kids standing right next to you."
The notion of locking a person up in front of his or her kid might seem harsh. Merrill has been the Supervising Judge in the Syracuse Drug Court since 2000. In his time on the bench he says he has seen instances of offenders bringing children with them to avoid arrest. In an interview after all the offenders were brought before him, the judge told 13 student reporters that sometimes the children people bring are not even theirs.
"Some people even bring their neighbors' kid kind of like a Rent-A-Child," Merrill said "They say 'Hey do you want me to watch your kid, maybe around 2 o'clock on Tuesday,' and then bring them down here."
Even with people attempting to beat the system, Merrill says that drug court is a great benefit to the people that go through the treatment program.
"It works, it really works," Merrill said. "It takes about a year to a year and a half. Then they walk out of here with nothing on their record."
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