Criminal justice client rehabs can be considered as a far better option than prison time or heavy fines for many who have been convicted of any sort of alcohol or drug related crime. As an example, someone who has been in prison for driving drunk of drugs or alcohol may qualify to obtain rehabilitation services for their problem instead of serving time in prison. The judge might order the individual receive rehabilitation, either alone or in addition to other consequences. First time offenders specifically tend to be given the chance to choose a criminal justice client rehab instead of other sentencing, and it is highly recommended they benefit from it if it's an option. The theory behind criminal justice client rehabs is that it is much more efficient and effective to invest time and energy into rehab than punishment. Much research has been completed to observe how effective this method is on recidivism rates, i.e. if the individual returns or not to criminal justice system following rehab. The signs and indicators appear to be quite positive, and criminal justice clients that do take part in rehabilitation have a much better possibility of remaining out of the system after treatment.