Think about a time you really messed up. Did it take 10 years to come to the conclusion you were wrong?
The way people get looked up in the US is known to be one of the worst approaches to rehabilitation, it's bad to a degree that it's making it more likely for you to commit crimes when you come out instead of less because you have become totally out of touch with socity and normal life.
Not many people are locked up for a few years for a traffic violation