Criminal justice client rehabs can be considered as a far better option than time in jail or significant fines for those who have already been convicted of any type of drug or alcohol related crime. For instance, anyone who has been in prison for driving drunk of drugs or alcohol may be eligible to get rehab services because of their problem rather than serving time in jail. The judge may even order that the individual receive treatment, either alone or together with other consequences. Very first time offenders specifically will often be given the opportunity choose a criminal justice client rehab as opposed to other sentencing, and it is well-advised they take advantage of it if it is an alternative. The theory behind criminal justice client rehabs is that it is far more effective and efficient to invest effort and time into rehabilitation than punishment. Much research has been carried out to find out how effective this strategy is on recidivism rates, i.e. if the individual returns or not to criminal justice system following rehab. The signs and indicators seem to be quite positive, and criminal justice clients who experience rehabilitation have a better possibility of remaining out of the judicial system following rehab.