The use of the words "punishment for crime" are metaphorical, which is why Hell is described as a prison in the Bible.

The message of the Bible is also not "turn to God or else". It is "You have a choice, one choice which leads to Heaven and another which leads to Hell. You make that choice by your desires. Continue to live as a slave to your desires and you will end up in Hell".

Finally, Hell is not described as "aggressively terrifying and unpleasant" in the Bible, but simply as a place to avoid at all costs. In light of the fact that Hell represents an complete loss of hope, that alone is reason enough to want to avoid it.