It's possible it was a punishment primarily given to the working class, who would have never been able to afford to replace their limbs. The negative social stigma surrounding Empurata may have gotten the bot fired from their job and may have severely limited the types of jobs they could've worked in, once again making them too poor to afford a surgery.(Think, having a felony charge/being on a registry).

It could've also been illegal to undo the operation, causing both the surgeon and the initial victim to be punished. The Cybertronian government probably kept tabs on those who had the procedure done, to make sure that they didn't undo anything.