1) Now he's supposed to be somewhere around the U of Washington Hospital. Campus alerted but not locked down. There's a part of me that hopes he continues to roam around until sepsis sets in. Being gut-shot is not normally a quick stop, but it can get messy after a few days.
2) The problem with incarceration as incapacitation is that the public is not willing to pay the costs. The risk of a Clemmons going on a spree of higher-level crimes is actually fairly low. The pity is that everybody lost on the bets that were made over time.
Using the "average length" of sentences handed down and actual time served can be quite persuasive in 8th Amendment challenges to lengthy sentences. The case law is also rife with "extenuating and mitigating circumstances" such as learning deficits/disabilities, childhood abuse, lack of a loving family home, being the wrong color, or having someone on the jury who was born on a day ending in "Y".
Adding to this is the fact that states on the left side of the country have a historical record of lesser sentences and more permissive bail criteria. $150,000 bail comes out to $1,500 cash or possibly $5,00 property. A car title could have been sufficient to satisfy the bondsman. We'll save the discussion of why the magistrate permitted bail with assault on a cop & 2nd degree rape already over his head.
About all I can do is speculate that Clemmons is the type that makes a model inmate. When under [relatively] strict supervision and made to face consequences of his behavior [relatively] quickly these folks are quite capable of complying with extenally imposed limits. Conversely, these same types have almost no internal locus of self-control. Unfortunately, those who are charged with deciding whether or not to grant clemency (parole boards and governors) are more concerned with the behavioral record of the inmate than with the psychological typology and SWAG nonsense spouted by guards and other staff who deal with the individual on a daily basis. In other words, contrary to Micro's comment, there is a fairly good way to figure out who is most likely to end up being a raging murderer. It's just that it is a prediction and not a guarantee, and the folks who decide are politically motivated. They know that doing something because a consequence "might" occur is generally not supported by the voters - even when it comes to criminals and spending lots more money on them.
stay safe.
skidmark
