Criminal justice client rehabs can be considered being a far better option than jail time or significant fines for many who have been convicted of any sort of alcohol or drug related crime. For example, someone who has been in prison for driving while impaired of drugs or alcohol may qualify to obtain rehabilitation services for their problem instead of serving time in jail. The judge could even order the individual receive treatment, either alone or in addition to other sentencing. First-time offenders in particular are often given the ability to select a criminal justice client rehab as an alternative to other sentencing, and it is highly recommended that they benefit from it if it's a possibility. The theory behind criminal justice client rehabs is that it is much more efficient and effective to invest effort and time into rehabilitation than punishment. Much research has been completed to see how effective this approach is on recidivism rates, i.e. if the criminal justice client returns or not to criminal justice system following treatment. The signs and indicators seem to be quite positive, and criminal justice clients who do experience rehabilitation have a better potential for remaining out of the system after rehabilitation.