Case management is a problemsolving mechanism for clients who cannot effectively deal with diverse, bureaucratic, and non-user friendly treatment and social service organizations and structures. Case management is the effort of a staff member to link the client with "a network of caring and responsible people committed to assisting vulnerable clients to meet their needs and develop their potential without being unnecessarily isolated or excluded from the community" (National Institute of Mental Health, 1977). After reviewing the origins and principles of case management as it developed in the mental health and social work fields, this paper examines the analogies and the differences in the application of case management to drug abuse treatment, considering both the promise and the problems for expanded use with drug-involved offenders. The discussion then extends the application of case management to the treatment of criminal justice clients under supervision in the community. Existing case management applications in criminal justice settings are briefly reviewed, with attention to the potential strengths of compulsory supervision and the practical problems of large caseloads and recalcitrant clients. 62 references