Criminal justice client rehabs can be considered as being a considerably better option than prison time or heavy fines for those who have already 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 be eligible to get rehabilitation services because of their problem as an alternative to serving time in jail. The judge might even order that the individual receive treatment, either alone or along with other consequences. First-time offenders in particular will often be given the opportunity pick a criminal justice client rehab instead of other sentencing, and it is well-advised they reap the benefits of it if it is an alternative. The theory behind criminal justice client rehabs is that it is much more efficient and effective to invest time and effort into rehabilitation than punishment. Much research has been completed to find out how effective this process 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 do take part in rehab have a better probability of remaining out of the judicial system after treatment.