Developed in 1972, the Treatment Accountability for Safer Communities (TASC) provided leadership and advocacy to foster and improve the integrated delivery of substance abuse treatment to offenders and others within the justice system. The program’s approach was to engage individuals referred by the justice system in substance abuse treatment, as well as other services and ensure that appropriate and adequate services were available for justice clients. The guide is organized into two major sections. The first section provides a brief history and description of TASC, the model, and methodology. It presents an understanding of the impact of substance abuse in the justice system, as well as an overview of both the justice and treatment systems as it relates to substance involved justice clients. The second section defines and describes the 13 critical elements of TASC programs. The elements serve as minimum standards for operating TASC programs. The elements represent the activities and conditions needed to establish and operate an effective TASC program. These 13 elements are divided into three major element sections which include: (1) systems coordination; (2) organizational; and (3) operational, the systems coordination elements consist of two elements that help provide the overarching support from the justice, treatment, and other social services systems needed to manage substance involved individuals effectively. Under organizational elements consisting of five elements, there is the building of the structural foundation necessary for TASC programs to provide client services as well as support for the larger systems. Operational elements, comprised of six elements, delineates the minimum set of client activities that are performed by the TASC organization on an ongoing basis. Over the past 30 years, TASC has evolved to provide the infrastructure to manage clients throughout the justice system and support both justice and treatment independently and in conjunction with drug courts, reentry management programs, and other efforts. References