Criminal justice client rehabs are available as a significantly better option than incarceration or heavy fines for many who have already been convicted of any kind of drug or alcohol related crime. By way of example, someone who has been found guilty of driving while impaired of drugs or alcohol may qualify to get rehabilitation services for their problem instead of serving time in jail. The judge may even order the individual receive rehab, either alone or in addition to other consequences. First time offenders in particular are often given the ability to pick a criminal justice client rehab rather than other sentencing, and it is highly recommended they benefit from it if it's a choice. The theory behind criminal justice client rehabs is it is much more effective and efficient to invest time and energy into rehabilitation than punishment. Much research has been done to observe how effective this strategy is on recidivism rates, i.e. if the criminal justice client returns or not to criminal justice system following rehab. The signs and indicators seem to be quite positive, and criminal justice clients that do experience treatment have a better potential for remaining out of the judicial system following rehab.