Criminal justice client rehabs can be considered as being a far better option than time in jail or significant fines for many who have already been convicted of any kind of alcohol or drug related crime. For instance, someone who has been in prison for driving drunk of alcohol or drugs may qualify to obtain treatment services for his or her problem as an alternative to serving time in prison. The judge could even order the individual receive rehabilitation, either alone or as well as other consequences. First-time offenders specifically tend to be given the opportunity to pick a criminal justice client rehab rather than other sentencing, and it is well-advised they take advantage of it if it's a possibility. The theory behind criminal justice client rehabs is that it is much more effective and efficient to invest commitment into rehabilitation than enforcement of other consequences. Much research has been done to see how effective this strategy is on recidivism rates, i.e. if the individual returns or not to criminal justice system following treatment. The signs and indicators appear to be quite positive, and criminal justice clients that experience rehab have a much better potential for remaining out of the system following rehabilitation.