Criminal justice client rehabs can be considered as being a considerably better option than prison time or heavy fines for individuals who have already been convicted of any sort of drug or alcohol related crime. By way of example, somebody who has been in prison for dui of alcohol or drugs may be eligible to receive rehab services for their problem rather than serving time in jail. The judge could even order the individual receive rehab, either alone or along with other sentencing. First-time offenders in particular will often be given the chance to choose a criminal justice client rehab rather than other sentencing, and it is well-advised that they benefit from it if it's an option. The concept behind criminal justice client rehabs is that it is much more effective and efficient to invest time and energy into treatment than punishment. Much research has been done to find out how effective this approach is on recidivism rates, i.e. if the individual returns or not to criminal justice system following rehab. The signs and indicators appear to be quite positive, and criminal justice clients who experience rehab have a much better chance of remaining out of the system after rehabilitation.