I’d spend a lot to stay out of prison, but not everything I have because I may need a lot of money to survive if I do end up in prison. I definitely don’t want to be in prison even for a short stay.
There’s an element of risk / unknowable outcome inherent in the question. When hiring high-priced lawyers and paying for expert testimony in your defense, one does not know if that effort will bear fruit (keep you out of prison) or not. That being said, I’d probably spend a half a million bucks right now on lawyers if I thought it would reduce the chances of a six-month jail sentence from 80% to 20%. My career, time with my family, my reputation, avoiding the risk of violence / disease, all add up to pretty substantial value to me.
Doing time comes with a loss of certain rights after release, and significantly greater difficulty getting employment. Timing would be everything. At 67, doing 6 months would bridge the gap to Medicare, and future jobs are not that much of a concern. At 47, it’d be devastating. At 67, I’d think about doing it for 400k. At 47, not for 4 million. Or 8.
For this couple, $1 million, but then he is worth $4 billion & her ex is a Fargo, as in Wells-Fargo so I’m sure she’s not penniless either.
In New York, the determination is made within the prison system. The judge will just sentence the convicted person to a length of time in prison; they cannot specify what type of prison it will be.
The person is then transferred to a prison (usually Downstate Correctional Facility) for what’s called Reception. Their records will be reviewed and they’ll be interviewed by security staff, counselors, and medical people to determine what prison would be the best place for them.
I would actually pay to go into jail, just for the experience. But only, if it didn’t involve coming out with a criminal record.