Criminal justice client rehabs can be considered being a significantly better option than time in jail or heavy fines for many who have already been convicted of any sort of alcohol or drug related crime. For example, anyone who has been in prison for driving drunk of alcohol or drugs may qualify to obtain treatment services because of their problem as opposed to serving time in prison. The judge might even order that the individual receive rehab, either alone or as well as other sentencing. First time offenders specifically are often given the ability to pick a criminal justice client rehab instead of other sentencing, and it is well-advised they make the most of it if it's a choice. The idea behind criminal justice client rehabs is that it is much more effective and efficient to invest time and effort into rehabilitation than punishment. Much research has been carried out to find out 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 who do experience treatment have a better potential for remaining out of the system following rehabilitation.