Criminal justice client rehabs are available as a significantly better option than jail time or significant fines for individuals who have already been convicted of any sort of alcohol or drug related crime. By way of example, someone who has been found guilty of driving while impaired of drugs or alcohol may be eligible to get rehabilitation services for their problem as an alternative to serving time in prison. The judge might order the individual receive rehab, either alone or in addition to other consequences. First time offenders in particular in many cases are given the chance to choose a criminal justice client rehab as opposed to other sentencing, and it is well-advised that they reap the benefits of it when it is a choice. The theory behind criminal justice client rehabs is that it is far more efficient and effective to invest time and effort into rehab than punishment. Much research has been done 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 rehab. All indicators seem to be quite positive, and criminal justice clients that experience treatment have a much better potential for remaining out of the system after rehabilitation.