Commitment is a promise to do something or act in a particular way. A commitment can refer to a contract or an obligation to undertake something, often regarding financial or moral responsibility, like financial commitments (the amount a person should pay regularly) or a family commitment.
Commitment can also refer to an action or an order that a court issued to confine a person to a prison, jail, or a treatment facility. Specifically, a judge orders legal enforcement officers to bring an offender or a patient to such places. The usual reasons for committing someone to prison or jail are for crime, contempt, or contumacy, while the reasons for being committed to other types of treatment facilities are for mental illness, developmental disabilities and/or addiction treatment. See: Involuntary civil commitment.
Commitment is also engaging in an act, such as committing a crime, entrusting, or consigning.
[Last updated in July of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]