RANDOM ASSIGNMENT TO TREATMENT GROUPS:

A persistent problem in evaluation research relates to the difficulty of using true experimental designs. In particular, random assignment of subjects to treatment groups is both very important to insure the internal validity of the design and very difficult to implement due to logistical and ethical aspects of field research. This paper reports on a strategy for randomization which was adapted to judicial research: specifically to the evaluation of o program for adjudicating minor traffic offenders. It is demonstrated that through careful planning and coordination, designs involving random assignment can be instituted without involving significant difficulties.