Criminal justice client rehabs can be considered as being a far better option than incarceration or heavy fines for individuals who have been convicted of any type of alcohol or drug related crime. For example, somebody who has been in prison for driving while impaired of alcohol or drugs may be eligible to obtain treatment services because of their problem rather than serving time in prison. The judge might even order that the individual receive rehabilitation, either alone or as well as other consequences. First time offenders in particular are often given the opportunity to pick a criminal justice client rehab rather than other sentencing, and it is well-advised that they reap the benefits of it if it's a choice. The theory behind criminal justice client rehabs is that it is much more effective and efficient to invest time and energy into treatment than punishment. Much research has been carried out to observe how effective this process is on recidivism rates, i.e. if the criminal justice client returns or not to criminal justice system following rehab. All indicators seem to be quite positive, and criminal justice clients who take part in treatment have better chance of remaining out of the system following rehab.