It appears that in Arkansas, prison sentences are given out almost in dog years. From what I've read, the parole board is a pretty easy group of folks, and once you're eligible for parole, you need to do something pretty nasty to be denied it.
Thus, one must evaluate Mr. Clemmons’ “108-year” sentence in light of his first parole date, which I've read to be in 2015. From 1989 or 1990, that's not 108 years. That's not even half of 108 years. It's about 26 years, or about a little less than quarter of the sentence.
I've never heard of a state where you need to serve less than one-quarter of your sentence to be ordinarily eligible for parole.
Gov. Huckabee acted in a way that strongly suggests that he knew the parole board would parole just about anyone eligible, as when he commuted Mr. Clemmons’ sentence to 47 years, 5 months and 19 days, it made Mr. Clemmons eligible for parole as of the day of the commutation, even though he only served about 11 years or so. The parole board released Mr. Clemmons a few weeks later.
Thus, it's disingenuous to argue that Mr. Clemmons received a 108-year sentence, and thus would spend the rest of his life in prison. Rather, he was handed down a sentence that was formally 108 years, but that would likely require 26 years of incarceration.
One hundred eight years IS a little excessive for three brutal assaults, a couple of robberies, a fairly significant breaking, entering and burglary, weapons charges, and violent and attempted violent attacks against prison and judicial personnel.
But truthfully, 26 years seems a little on the light side.
And 11 years is a mockery of justice.
Mr. Clemmons brutally assaulted a SEVENTH grader. That's a child about 12 years old. He beat a woman for $16 and beat a man for a piece of jewelry. This is a fellow who needs little incentive to hurt people.
While awaiting trial, he took apart a door to make the door hinge into a weapon, he tried to assault a guard with a lock, he tried to steal a guard’s firearm, and he so credibly threatened the judge in his case that the judge had him appear in court in leg shackles.
This is not someone who received 108 years for a couple of thefts and a burglary. This is someone who effectively received 26 years for a series of brutal assaults followed by attempts to escape incarceration by harming prison and judicial personnel.
When I described the series of crimes to my family, my son said, “This is the sort of person we build prisons for.”
Ironically, if Mr. Clemmons had been left in prison to his original parole date in 2015, he'd still be alive today, the little girl would not have been raped, and four police officers would not have been brutally murdered.
Twenty-six years in prison for a string of violent crimes and a string of attempted violence while in custody is far from unreasonable.
sitetest
In most states a juvenile -- which would be anyone under the age of 18 in most states -- would not be tried as as adult for a series of robberies especially if weapons or extended hospital stays were not involved.
Further, in just about any other state, the sentences would not be consecutive but concurrent if it was deemed an adult trial was warranted. Since it looks like about 13.5 years per crime -- and I assume they were giving him the max -- he would have been out in about four years which would be an expected sentence for a first-time adult offender for such crimes.
I agree that Huckabee expected Clemmons to be freed on parole which, of course, is not the same as a pardon.
You are quite right that Hinckley was not sentenced. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and incarcerated for 32 years for attempting to kill the president and crippling another man for life.