Criminal justice client rehabs can be considered as a considerably better option than incarceration or heavy fines for individuals who have been convicted of any type of drug or alcohol related crime. As an example, a person who has been in prison for driving drunk of alcohol or drugs may qualify for rehabilitation services for their problem rather than serving time in jail. The judge could even order that the individual receive rehab, either alone or along with other consequences. First-time offenders in particular tend to be given the chance to go with a criminal justice client rehab instead of other sentencing, and it is well-advised that they take advantage of it if it is an alternative. The concept behind criminal justice client rehabs is it is much more efficient and effective to invest time and energy into rehab than punishment. Much research has been completed to discover how effective this strategy is on recidivism rates, i.e. if the individual returns or not to criminal justice system following rehabilitation. All indicators seem quite positive, and criminal justice clients who experience rehab have a much better chance of remaining out of the system following treatment.