Ok, I now at least understand why Harry doesn't just arrest Jamie, to get him off the street, since Harry knows Jamie murdered at least twice. In The Sinner 3.6 the answer becomes clear: Harry realizes that Jamie holds a key to helping Harry understand at least some of Harry's troubled soul.
It's the most philosophic episode we've seen so far, with references to Kierkegaard, Aquinas, and, of course, the ever alluring Nietzsche and his ocular abyss. And it ends with Harry taking Jamie up on his offer to let Jamie bury him, in return for a written confession which Harry has in his pocket, but agrees to burn, if Jamie digs him up.
Which makes no sense, if you think about it. What does Harry gain if Jamie digs him up - surely better than letting Harry die - but the price Harry has to pay for that is burning Jamie's confession? It makes no sense for Harry the detective. But it does make sense for Harry the troubled soul, which, in a way, is what The Sinner has always been about.
It's not going too far to say The Sinner in the three seasons we've seen so far is not just the psychos Harry hunts down, but Harry himself. And, just for good measure, we also learn in this episode that the painter that Harry is now sleeping with is somewhat out of her mind, herself.
The philosophers who probe such questions are indeed good accompaniment to such a narrative. So would Faust and his notorious bargain. It's only television, but viewers of this series are in effect parties to this bargain as well.
See also The Sinner 3.1: Second Degree Murder, First Degree Detective ... The Sinner 3.2: The Contractor and the Contractee ... The Sinner 3.3: The Baby Monster ... The Sinner 3.4-5: Why Doesn't Harry Just Arrest Jamie
And see also The Sinner 2.1: The Boy ... The Sinner 2.2: Heather's Story ... The Sinner 2.3: Julian's Mother ... The Sinner 2.5: The Scapegoat ... The Simmer 2.7: Occluded Past Unwound - Mostly ... The Sinner Season 2 Finale: The Ambiguity of Harry
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