Criminal justice client rehabs can be considered as a far better option than incarceration or heavy fines for individuals who have already been convicted of any kind of drug or alcohol related crime. For instance, a person who has been in prison for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol may be eligible to obtain rehabilitation services for his or her problem rather than serving time in prison. The judge may even order that the individual receive rehabilitation, either alone or in addition to other sentencing. Very first time offenders in particular tend to be given the opportunity choose a criminal justice client rehab instead of other sentencing, and it is well-advised they take advantage of it if it's an alternative. The theory behind criminal justice client rehabs is that it is way more efficient and effective to invest effort and time into rehabilitation than punishment. Much research has been done to see how effective this approach is on recidivism rates, i.e. if the criminal justice client returns or not to criminal justice system following rehab. All indicators seem to be quite positive, and criminal justice clients that do experience rehab have a better chance of remaining out of the judicial system after rehabilitation.