The National Research Advisory Committee (NRAC) recommends four drug court performance measures that can be used to document the effects of drug courts on clients: (1) retention; (2) sobriety; (3) recidivism; and (4) and units of service. Suggestions are offered for how to document and analyze these measures, which can be considered both client-level and program-level variables. For example, in order to measure sobriety, drug courts should document both the average length of continuous sobriety for a client as well as the average number of failed tests during the program or during a particular time period. This type of documentation can then be used to analyze trends over time. Similarly, to analyze recidivism rates among drug court participants, arrest data on clients should be documented and used as the primary measure of recidivism, followed by data related to client convictions. The recommendations were provided by the NRAC as it became apparent that local drug courts needed guidance in evaluating their programs. The NRAC responded by developing a uniform data collection and evaluation strategy for local programs, one element of which is the performance measurement. The measures presented here to evaluate the performance of drug courts can be used across the spectrum of drug court programs and will most certainly assist in promoting sound management practices. References