Fines and imprisonment are intended to be deterrents as well as retribution. In America it&#x27;s not politically viable to scale fines according to the perpetrator&#x27;s ability to pay, so jail time is the only deterrent that will work on rich people. Wealth varies greatly but everybody gets roughly the same lifespan. Although in practice it doesn&#x27;t work so well because rich people also have better ability to avoid prison time.