Criminal justice client rehabs are available like a far better option than prison time or heavy fines for individuals who have already been convicted of any sort of drug or alcohol related crime. As an example, anyone who has been found guilty of driving drunk of alcohol or drugs may qualify to receive rehabilitation services for their problem as an alternative to serving time in prison. The judge may even order the individual receive rehab, either alone or as well as other sentencing. First-time offenders specifically are often given the ability to go with a criminal justice client rehab as an alternative to other sentencing, and it is well-advised they reap the benefits of it when it is an alternative. The theory behind criminal justice client rehabs is that it is far more effective and efficient to invest time and effort into rehabilitation than punishment. Much research has been done to discover how effective this approach is on recidivism rates, i.e. if the criminal justice client returns or not to criminal justice system following rehabilitation. The signs and indicators appear to be quite positive, and criminal justice clients who experience treatment have a much better chance of remaining out of the system following treatment.