Criminal justice client rehabs can be considered as a significantly better option than prison time or significant fines for many who have already been convicted of any type of alcohol or drug related crime. As an example, someone who has been in prison for driving drunk of alcohol or drugs may qualify to receive rehabilitation services for his or her problem as an alternative to serving time in prison. The judge may even order that the individual receive rehabilitation, either alone or together with other consequences. New offenders specifically in many cases are given the opportunity to go with a criminal justice client rehab as opposed to other sentencing, and it is highly recommended they reap the benefits of it if it's an alternative. The theory behind criminal justice client rehabs is that it is far more efficient and effective to invest commitment into rehab than punishment. Much research has been carried out to see how effective this strategy is on recidivism rates, i.e. if the individual returns or not to criminal justice system following rehabilitation. The signs and indicators seem quite positive, and criminal justice clients that experience rehabilitation have better chance of remaining out of the system following rehab.