The three major civil commitment programs established in the last 30 years are the California Civil Addict Program, the New York Civil Commitment Program, and programs under the Federal Narcotic Addict Rehabilitation Act. These programs were in full operation only from 1965-75 and fell into disuse with the growth of community-based treatment systems. Civil commitment was replaced by a looser arrangement in which individuals were referred, but not committed, to drug treatment by the courts or the probation and parole systems. Outcome evaluations of treatment programs indicate the need for policy that focuses on the early detection of drug abuse, individual assessments to determine the intervention needed, interventions that are made available or are even imposed, and individual monitoring for compliance. Table, figures, and 30 references