Criminal justice client rehabs are available as being a significantly better option than jail time or heavy fines for those who have been convicted of any kind of drug or alcohol related crime. For instance, anyone who has been in prison for driving while impaired of drugs or alcohol may qualify for treatment services for their problem as an alternative to serving time in prison. The judge might order the individual receive rehab, either alone or together with other consequences. First-time offenders in particular in many cases are given the opportunity to go with a criminal justice client rehab instead of other sentencing, and it is well-advised they reap the benefits of it if it is an option. The theory behind criminal justice client rehabs is it is much more effective and efficient to invest time and effort 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 rehab. All indicators seem quite positive, and criminal justice clients who do take part in rehab have a much better chance of remaining out of the judicial system following treatment.