NEBRASKA'S MENTAL HEALTH COMMITMENT ACT, PASSED IN 1976, CONTAINED MANY PROCEDURAL SAFEGUARDS AND REQUIRED BEHAVIORALLY MANIFESTED DANGEROUSNESS AS A CRITERION FOR COMMITMENT. PROCEDURAL CHANGES INCLUDED REQUIREMENTS FOR AN EVALUATION WITHIN 36 HOURS OF CONFINEMENT, A PRELIMINARY HEARING WITHIN 5 DAYS, A FINAL HEARING WITHIN 14 DAYS OF THE PRELIMINARY HEARING, THE RIGHT TO AN INDEPENDENT EVALUATION, THE RIGHT TO AN ATTORNEY, AND A MANDATORY REVIEW PROCESS WITHIN 60 DAYS. IN THE PRESENT STUDY, THE OVERALL NUMBER OF INVOLUNTARY ADMISSIONS (EXCLUDING THOSE GIVEN AN ALCOHOLIC DIAGNOSIS) AND 11 OTHER DEMOGRAPHIC AND SERVICE UTILIZATION VARIABLES WERE ANALYZED TO TEST THE NEW LAW'S EFFECTS. AN INTERRUPTED TIME-SERIES DESIGN WAS USED. RESULTS SHOWED AN IMMEDIATE BUT TEMPORARY DROP IN INVOLUNTARY ADMISSIONS. DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES IN THOSE ADMITTED INCLUDED A DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF FEMALES, A DECREASE IN ADMISSIONS FROM RURAL COUNTIES, AND A DECREASE IN AGE AND EDUCATION OF THOSE COMMITTED. IN ADDITION, THE LAW APPARENTLY CAUSED AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF THOSE HAVING TO BE READMITTED. RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT COMMITMENT BOARDS ARE NOT IMPLEMENTING THE CHANGES AS INTENDED. IN ADDITION, RESULTS SUGGEST THE NEEDS FOR REASSESSMENT OF PERCEPTIONS OF DANGEROUSNESS AND FOR MORE EFFECTIVE LIAISON BETWEEN STATE HOSPITALS AND COMMUNITY BASED TREATMENT FACILITIES. TABLES, FIGURES, FOOTNOTES, AND A REFERENCE LIST ARE INCLUDED. (CFW)