Criminal justice clients are a significant percentage of clients who are currently taking part in drug and alcohol treatment centers in Richmond, CA. and in the USA. Court systems in the country often find it more effective to treat men and women who have wound up in the criminal justice system for drug related crimes, instead of penalizing them in vain with time in jail and other penalties. It is proven to be more helpful to tackle the problem of drug or alcohol addiction directly, rather than enforce such penalties. Most who do not wind up in drug and alcohol treatment will often wind back up in the criminal justice hamster wheel, while criminal justice clients in drug rehab generally don't make the same mistakes and have a far better chance at remaining abstinent and out of the court system entirely.