Some users say those things, but they may be different users than the ones saying CEOs (etc.) should go to jail when they commit crimes. And/or it could be that

Some users say those things, but they may be different users than the ones saying CEOs (etc.) should go to jail when they commit crimes. And/or it could be that, despite the idea that prisons don't work, if you're going to punish one set of "criminals" then we ought to apply the penalties evenly... especially since the crimes committed by CEOs/HLOs are often more harmful overall. Ironically, the threat of prison might be much more effective if white collar types expected to be punished more regularly than they are. Economically, people who wind up incarcerated are often[1] on the low end of the income scale. That is, people who may feel they have little to lose by committing crimes because their standard of living isn't great to begin with. [2] If these CEOs/HLOs felt there was a good chance they'd end up not only ruining their career but actually going to jail ... they might feel they have too much to lose to commit the crimes in the first place. [1] https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/income.html https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/income.html [2] I'm not suggesting that the standard of living in prison is comparable to being free, even if you are actually dirt poor. But if you've been broke or poor, and you have no expectation of that changing, you might understand why someone might take risks.