Criminal justice clients are a large percentage of clients who take part in alcohol and drug rehabilitation facilities in Ellicott City and across the nation. Judicial systems in the country are finding it more effective to treat people who have ended up in the court system for drug related crimes, rather than penalizing them in vain with jail time and other penalties. It is proven to be more effective to address the trouble of drug or alcohol addiction directly, than to enforce such penalties. The majority of individuals who do not wind up in alcohol and drug treatment will often turn right back up in the criminal justice system, whilst criminal justice clients in alcohol and drug rehabilitation often don't make the same mistakes and have a better chance at remaining sober and away from the court system for good.