THE NASSAU COUNTY TASC, 1 OF MORE THAN 40 TASC PROGRAMS FUNDED BY LEAA, FOLLOWS A CONVENTIONAL PRETRIAL INTERVENTION MODEL AND IS COMPOSED OF THE FOLLOWING UNITS: (1) A SCREEN AND COURT LIAISON UNIT (SCLU), RESPONSIBLE FOR INTERVIEWING PROSPECTIVE CLIENTS TO DETERMINE IF THEY SATISFY DRUG ABUSE AND CRIMINAL HISTORY CRITERIA; (2) A DIAGNOSTIC UNIT, RESPONSIBLE FOR CONDUCTING NEEDS ASSESSMENTS FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS IDENTIFIED BY SCLU AS ELIGIBLE TO TASC, WRITING DETAILED PSYCHOSOCIAL HISTORIES, AND REFERRING PROSPECTIVE CLIENTS TO OUTSIDE AGENCIES; (3) A TRACKING UNIT, RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING THE PROGRESS OF TASC CLIENTS IN TREATMENT; AND (4) AN ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT, RESPONSIBLE FOR COORDINATING THE ACTIVITIES OF THE OTHER THREE UNITS. EVALUATORS BEGUN THEIR WORK IN 1978, USING A VARIETY OF METHODS, INCLUDING SITE VISITS, FILE REVIEWS, OBSERVATION, AND CASE MONITORING. THIS PROGRAM EVALUATION OBSERVED THAT (1) IN ITS FIRST YEAR, NASSAU COUNTY TASC HAS ADMITTED 397 CLIENTS; (2) THE PROGRAM HAS SUCCEEDED IN REFERRING TO TREATMENT INDIVIDUALS WITH SERIOUS DRUG INVOLVEMENT (THE CLIENT POPULATION IS CHARACTERIZED BY HARD-CORE DRUG ABUSE RATHER THAN EXPERIMENTATION); (3) NASSAU TASC HAS SUCCESSFULLY FOCUSED ON INDIVIDUALS WHOSE PRIMARY DRUG OF ABUSE IS ALCOHOL; (4) OVER 60 PERCENT OF CLIENTS REFERRED TO TREATMENT WERE CURRENTLY CHARGED WITH FELONIES; AND (5) NASSAU CLIENTS TEND TO BE WHITE MALES WHO ARE EMPLOYED, HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATED, AND EARNING AT LEAST $5,000 PER ANNUM. THE NASSAU TASC PROGRAM HAS ALREADY ACHIEVED COST EFFECTIVENESS, PROVIDES AN ANNUAL COST BENEFIT OF $958,060 IN REDUCED JAIL AND COURT COSTS ALONE. IN GENERAL, NASSAU TASC IS BEST DESCRIBED AS A 'TURNAROUND' PROGRAM. AFTER THE INITIAL PROGRAM REORGANIZATION, BUREAUCRATIC RESISTANCE TO THE PROGRAM WAS REDUCED AND ADMINISTRATIVE CONFUSION WAS ALLEVIATED AND COMPARES FAVORABLY WITH OTHER TASC PROGRAMS. THE REPORT INCLUDED TABULAR DATA. (PRG)