Civil Commitment Law and Legal Definition
Civil commitment refers to the jailing of a person for debt or nonpayment of alimony or the confinement of an insane person, alcoholic, or drug addict for treatment or protection or the commitment of a person under civil arrest.
The following is an example of a state statute (New Jersey) referring to civil commitment:
An action for commitment shall be commenced either through a screening service referral or upon independent application for a temporary court order. All clinical and screening certificates shall be in the form prescribed by the Department of Human Services subject to the approval of the Administrative Director of the Courts. [N.J. Court Rules, R. 4:74-7].
