Usually they'll use that to threaten the suspect into a plea bargin. Either admit guilt and go to jail for five years, or fight it and they'll do the best they can to send you for fifty.
What amazes me about this plea bargain system is that if you are, in fact, innocent and you 'plea bargain' to plead guilty and get off lightly aren't you purgering yourself (ie lying under oath about your guilt)?
Not that I'd expect a conversation to go like:
"If you plead guilty you get 5 years but if you fight we'll see you locked away for 50"
"But I'm innocent, wouldn't that be purgery?"
"Oh yeah true, you can go then."