Criminal justice client rehabs can be considered like a considerably better option than prison time or significant fines for many who have been convicted of any kind of alcohol or drug related crime. As an example, anyone who has been found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs may qualify for treatment services because of their problem instead of serving time in prison. The judge might order that the individual receive rehabilitation, either alone or as well as other sentencing. First-time offenders in particular in many cases are given the chance to pick a criminal justice client rehab instead of other sentencing, and it is highly recommended they benefit from it if it's an alternative. The theory behind criminal justice client rehabs is that it is way more effective and efficient to invest time and energy into rehab than punishment. Much research has been carried out to discover how effective this process is on recidivism rates, i.e. if the individual returns or not to criminal justice system following treatment. The signs and indicators seem to be quite positive, and criminal justice clients who do take part in rehab have a much better potential for remaining out of the system after rehabilitation.