Criminal justice client rehabs are available as a far better option than jail time or heavy fines for individuals who have already been convicted of any kind of drug or alcohol related crime. By way of example, anyone who has been found guilty of driving drunk of drugs or alcohol may qualify for rehabilitation services for their problem as opposed to serving time in jail. The judge may even order that the individual receive rehabilitation, either alone or along with other sentencing. First-time offenders specifically tend to be given the chance to go with a criminal justice client rehab as an alternative to other sentencing, and it is well-advised they make the most of it if it's an alternative. The idea behind criminal justice client rehabs is it is far more effective and efficient to invest effort and time into rehabilitation than punishment. Much research has been done to discover how effective this approach is on recidivism rates, i.e. if the criminal justice client returns or not to criminal justice system following treatment. All indicators appear to be quite positive, and criminal justice clients that do experience rehabilitation have a much better possibility of remaining out of the system after treatment.