A NEW APPROACH TO DRUG TREATMENT IS THE THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS INVESTIGATIONS WAS TO EXPLORE THE TREATMENT ENVIRONMENTS AND POPULATION OF ONE THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY PROGRAM, SECOND GENESIS, INCORPORATED, BETHESDA, MD., AND TO TEST A METHOD OF PROGRAM EVALUATION. THE SUBJECTS WERE 392 DRUG ABUSERS WHO WERE RESIDENTS OF THE PROGRAM'S THREE FACILITIES (IN PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD. AND ALEXANDRIA, VA.) FROM MARCH 1972 THROUGH APRIL 1974. SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DATA ON RESIDENTS, AS WELL AS DETERMINATIONS OF THEIR REASONS FOR JOINING THE PROGRAM WERE COLLECTED. SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC DATA REVEALED THAT THE TREATMENT POPULATION WAS MADE UP PRIMARILY OF YOUNG ADULT MALE CRIMINAL HEROIN ADDICTS. MOST WERE UNDER SOME COERCION (I.E., BY PROBATION OR PAROLE BOARDS) TO JOIN THE PROGRAM. PSYCHOLOGICAL DATA GATHERED FROM THE MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY (MMPI) PROFILES (ADMINISTERED ON ADMISSION) INDICATED THAT THE POPULATION WAS HIGHLY PSYCHOPATHOLOGICAL AND ANTISOCIAL BUT WITH CONSIDERABLE VARIETY. THE COMMUNITY ORIENTED PROGRAM ENVIRONMENTAL SCALE (COPES), A TREATMENT INDEX, WAS GIVEN IN GROUP PRESENTATIONS TO EACH FACILITY IN THE PROGRAM, AND STANDARD SCORES BASED ON AN AMERICAN NORMATIVE SAMPLE WERE DERIVED IN ORDER TO OBTAIN TREATMENT ENVIRONMENT PROFILES FOR EACH FACILITY AND THE PROGRAM AS A WHOLE. THE OVERALL COPES REVEALED THAT THE FACILITIES WERE DISTINCTIVE FOR THEIR EMPHASIS ON THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS, THEIR HIGH LEVEL OF INVOLVEMENT, AND THEIR HIGH DEGREE OF SOCIAL CONTROL. SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND TREATMENT ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES WERE USED TO PREDICT DROP-OUTS FROM SECOND GENESIS. THE FOLLOWING VARIABLES RELATING TO THE RESIDENT'S IMMEDIATE SOCIAL CONTEXT, AGE, MARITAL STATUS, ADMISSION STATUS, AND LENGTH OF IMPENDING SENTENCE, ARE MOST RELATED TO A TENDENCY TO DISCONTINUE OR REMAIN IN TREATMENT. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO INVESTIGATE THE NATURE OF THESE DYNAMICS. TABULAR DATA, FIGURES, AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--JCP)