Criminal justice client rehabs are available as a significantly better option than prison time or significant fines for many who have been convicted of any type of alcohol or drug related crime. As an example, a person who has been in prison for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs may be eligible to receive rehabilitation services because of their problem as opposed to serving time in jail. The judge might order that the individual receive treatment, either alone or in addition to other consequences. First time offenders specifically in many cases are given the opportunity to pick a criminal justice client rehab rather than other sentencing, and it is highly recommended that they benefit from it if it's an alternative. The theory behind criminal justice client rehabs is that it is far more effective and efficient to invest effort and time into rehab than punishment. Much research has been completed to see how effective this method 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 who experience rehab have a better potential for remaining out of the system after treatment.