Criminal justice client rehabs can be considered as a significantly better option than time in jail or heavy fines for individuals who have already been convicted of any kind of drug or alcohol related crime. By way of example, someone who has been found guilty of driving while impaired of drugs or alcohol may qualify to get rehab services because of their problem rather than serving time in jail. The judge could even order the individual receive treatment, either alone or as well as other sentencing. First time offenders in particular are often given the chance to go with a criminal justice client rehab rather than other sentencing, and it is well-advised that they benefit from it if it is an alternative. The idea behind criminal justice client rehabs is that it is far more effective and efficient to invest time and effort into rehabilitation than punishment. Much research has been done to observe how effective this process is on recidivism rates, i.e. if the individual returns or not to criminal justice system following treatment. All indicators seem quite positive, and criminal justice clients that do take part in treatment have a much better probability of remaining out of the judicial system after rehab.