In your example, the bank robber was free to leave a prison of their own making for the confines of another prison, or perhaps be shot and die. That was Assang

In your example, the bank robber was free to leave a prison of their own making for the confines of another prison, or perhaps be shot and die. That was Assange's choice: a prison in the UK, or a prison in the USA. He didn't feel that the USA would either be safe or provide a fair trial, and so he stayed put.