The term commonly used for compulsory treatment is civil commitment. Typically, civil commitment serves as an alternative to incarceration (prison) by providing compulsory, court-ordered treatment for chronic drug abusers, especially antisocial addicts responsible for committing a large number of criminal acts. It is generally believed that narcotic addicts must be brought into a supervised environment for an extended period of time for any treatment to be meaningful. Civil commitment is a useful strategy for diverting into treatment those who ordinarily would not seek assistance voluntarily, and it has been shown to suppress daily narcotic use and criminal involvement (Leukefeld & Tims, 1988).

Historical Context

The concept of compulsory treatment for drug abusers in the United States was proposed shortly after Congress passed the Harrison Act of 1914. By 1919, the Narcotics Unit of the U.S. Treasury Department had convinced Congress to establish a chain of federal "narcotics farms," where...