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Is the maximum sentence particularly useful information? How does this fact aid my understanding of the severity of what he's done?

>>teduna+(OP)
> Is the maximum sentence particularly useful information?

Opinions will differ on this highly subjective question.

> How does this fact aid my understanding of the severity of what he’s done?

It aids your understanding of the potential consequences, not the severity of what he has done.

>>dragon+x
My prior understanding of the consequences was that he may or may not go to prison for an amount of time, and not a whole lot has changed. I guess I now know he won't go to prison for 40 years, but that's not exactly condensing the probability cloud.

>>teduna+(OP)
> Is the maximum sentence particularly useful information? How does this fact aid my understanding of the severity of what he's done?

In this case, probably not - 20 years is pretty stiff, and the crime implies that typical sentences are much less than that.

But if the maximum sentence was say... 6 months instead; or just a fine. Yeah - I think that would be useful information.