Criminal justice client rehabs are available as being a significantly better option than time in jail or heavy fines for individuals who have been convicted of any sort of alcohol or drug related crime. For example, somebody who has been in prison for driving drunk of drugs or alcohol may be eligible to receive rehabilitation services for their problem as an alternative to serving time in jail. The judge could even order that the individual receive treatment, either alone or together with other consequences. First-time offenders in particular tend to be given the opportunity to select a criminal justice client rehab rather than other sentencing, and it is highly recommended they take advantage of it if it's a possibility. The idea behind criminal justice client rehabs is that it is much more efficient and effective to invest time and energy into treatment than punishment. Much research has been carried out to see 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 seem quite positive, and criminal justice clients who take part in treatment have a much better chance of remaining out of the system following treatment.