Criminal justice client rehabs are available as a significantly better option than prison time or significant fines for many who have already been convicted of any type of drug or alcohol related crime. By way of example, anyone who has been in prison for dui of drugs or alcohol may qualify to get treatment services for their problem as an alternative to serving time in jail. The judge may even order that the individual receive rehabilitation, either alone or along with other consequences. First time offenders specifically in many cases are given the opportunity to go with a criminal justice client rehab as opposed to other sentencing, and it is well-advised they make the most of it when it is an option. The theory behind criminal justice client rehabs is it is way more effective and efficient to invest effort and time into rehab than punishment. Much research has been done to observe how effective this method is on recidivism rates, i.e. if the criminal justice client returns or not to criminal justice system following rehabilitation. All indicators seem quite positive, and criminal justice clients that do experience treatment have a much better chance of remaining out of the system following rehab.