Criminal justice clients are a significant percentage of clientele who are currently taking part in alcohol and drug treatment programs in Erwin, North Carolina and across the nation. Court systems around the country are finding it more effective to rehabilitate individuals who have wound up in the court system for drug related crimes, instead of penalizing them in vain with jail time and other such rulings. It has proven more effective to tackle the issue of drug addiction directly, than to enforce such penalties. Most who do not end up in drug rehabilitation will typically wind back up in the criminal justice system, whilst criminal justice clients in alcohol and drug treatment often don't make the same mistakes and have a better chance at staying sober and away from the court system completely.