I don't agree that "jail time is something everybody understands, no matter how poor you are". The biggest impact, by far, is on the working people. The rich

I don't agree that "jail time is something everybody understands, no matter how poor you are". The biggest impact, by far, is on the working people. The rich would be somewhat miserable for a time, but that's it. After jail they can go back to their rich lifestyle. The poor can be miserable or not, depending on exact level of "poor". Freedom is lost, but with hot meals and a roof and medical care, it's not all bad. People have been known to purposely commit minor crimes in from of the police, or to self-report by phoning from the scene of the crime, so that they could go to jail. Working people of all levels are devastated. At the low end, failing to show up for work on time is cause for termination. At the high end, failed background checks will make the person unemployable by an entire industry or career field. Bills had been getting paid, but that ends, and the family is evicted. All belongings are likely lost; getting them moved isn't so easy while passing the days in jail. Divorce is likely. Cars will be repossessed. The person leaves jail with no belongings, no money, no family, no job, and no possibility of getting a similar job. The working people are rightly terrified of jail. It usually keeps them in line. When it doesn't, it transitions them to being poor.