Criminal justice client rehabs can be considered 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. By way of example, anyone who has been in prison for driving drunk of alcohol or drugs may be eligible to receive rehab services because of their problem instead of serving time in prison. The judge could even order the individual receive rehabilitation, either alone or in addition to other sentencing. First time offenders specifically will often be given the chance to go with a criminal justice client rehab rather than other sentencing, and it is well-advised that they make the most of it when it is a possibility. The idea behind criminal justice client rehabs is it is much more efficient and effective to invest time and energy into rehabilitation than punishment. Much research has been completed to find out how effective this strategy is on recidivism rates, i.e. if the individual returns or not to criminal justice system following rehab. All indicators appear to be quite positive, and criminal justice clients who do take part in rehab have a much better potential for remaining out of the system after rehab.