Criminal justice client rehabs can be considered like a significantly better option than time in jail or heavy fines for individuals who have already 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 drugs or alcohol may be eligible to get rehab services for their problem as opposed to serving time in jail. The judge might order that the individual receive rehab, either alone or in addition to other consequences. First time offenders specifically will often be given the opportunity 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 idea behind criminal justice client rehabs is that it is way more efficient and effective to invest time and effort into rehabilitation than punishment. Much research has been done to observe 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 take part in rehab have a much better chance of remaining out of the judicial system following rehab.