The ones with longer potential sentences 1) have received a larger gift, and would thus lose something larger. They may also experience a stronger desire to r

The ones with longer potential sentences 1) have received a larger gift, and would thus lose something larger. They may also experience a stronger desire to reciprocate this gift back to society. 2) can imagine a larger perceived injustice (compared to everyone else) if they are put in jail again. People judge things (including the size of punishment) through comparison, not absolutely. The key concept here is the punishment you would receive when "compared with others". If a person would get a larger sentence for an identical crime it offends there sense of justice and highlights the negative aspects of the punishment making it more salient in there minds. I think my opinions above are still valid.