Comment by nytgop77

But the statistic of how often doing X gets somebody in jail is very important measure. (there is a fine for littering, but people constantly drop cigarette butts or gum on the ground, because there is no enforcement. And since there is no enforcement it is perceived as not a serious thing / acceptable behaviour)

Edit: to add to that, there are two dimensions: potential punishment and probability of enforcment. Both are equaly important.