Criminal justice client rehabs can be considered being a considerably better option than prison time or significant fines for many who have been convicted of any sort of alcohol or drug related crime. For example, someone who has been found guilty of driving while impaired of alcohol or drugs may be eligible to receive rehabilitation services for their problem as opposed to serving time in prison. The judge could even order that the individual receive treatment, 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 rather than other sentencing, and it is highly recommended they take advantage of it if it's an alternative. The idea behind criminal justice client rehabs is it is much more effective and efficient to invest time and energy into treatment than punishment. Much research has been done to see how effective this approach is on recidivism rates, i.e. if the individual returns or not to criminal justice system following rehabilitation. The signs and indicators seem quite positive, and criminal justice clients who do take part in rehabilitation have a much better potential for remaining out of the system after treatment.