I know this is intended as just a thought experiment, but I would submit that unless you have experienced it, you really have no idea what it is like to be in custody for any period of time, much less five years. I would further submit that it is certainly not comparable to being in a job you hate, being posted in a third world country, etc. I would further submit that for the vast majority of people living an ordinary, law abiding middle class life, including 99.99% of the people on these forums, the reality of being incarcerated for any period of time, even in a county jail, much less a state or federal prison, would be so intolerable that you would gladly exchange almost any amount of money to get out early. Just my two cents.