Kidnapper redirects here. For the song by American band Blondie, see Kidnapper (song).

Kidnapping, a word derived from kid = 'child' and nap(nab) = 'snatch', recorded since 1673, originally meant stealing children for use as servants or laborers in the American colonies.

Definition

---

It has come to mean any illegal capture or detention of persons against their will, regardless of age, as for ransom; since 1768 the term abduction was also used in this sense. Another case is when two countries are at war: enemy soldiers may be captured in another country and detained as prisoners of war under the law of the capturer's state, and suspected war criminals and those suspected of genocide or crimes against humanity may be arrested.

• Although the victims are usually called hostages, this term also applies to legal hostage-taking, commonly practiced by governments in the past.

Scope of application in the United States

---

In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or asportation of a person against the person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority. This is often done for ransom or in furtherance of another crime. A majority of jurisdictions in the United States retain the "asportation" element for kidnapping, where the victim must be confined in a bounded area against their will and moved. Any amount of movement will suffice for the requirement, even if it is moving the abductee to a house next door. In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, however, the asportation element has been abolished. Note that under early English common law, the asportation element required that the victim be moved outside the realm of England or overseas in order for an abduction to be considered "kidnapping."

Kidnapping for ransom is almost nonexistent in the United States today, due in great part to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's aggressive stance toward kidnapping. The Bureau made kidnap for ransom a special priority, and continues to do so today. It pursues kidnap cases ferociously, as FBI agents who have rescued kidnap victims have been known to describe the rescue as a personal high point of a career.

More on [ Kidnapping ]

kidnapping - Twitter Search

@MsPwetty well i know they'd care, but appearance-wise not able to afford a large ransom, so i'm not really worth kidnapping when i'm there
kroabot (Kurt Gonnerman) Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:50:38 -0000
@MsPwetty well i know they'd care, but appearance-wise not able to afford a large ransom, so i'm not really worth kidnapping when i'm there
Why am I expecting Jack Bauer to show up and bust up a kidnapping ring? RT: @graemem @Agent_M Cash on delivery. No baby, no money.
geekgirldiva (Geek Girl Diva) Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:47:54 -0000
Why am I expecting Jack Bauer to show up and bust up a kidnapping ring? RT: @graemem @Agent_M Cash on delivery. No baby, no money.
@MsPwetty fortunately the kidnapping for ransom isn't as bad in Lima Peru as it is in Mexico City, and i don't look too valuable anyway *-*
kroabot (Kurt Gonnerman) Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:46:33 -0000
@MsPwetty fortunately the kidnapping for ransom isn't as bad in Lima Peru as it is in Mexico City, and i don't look too valuable anyway *-*
Police: Wal-Mart Kidnapping A Hoax: Police say the report of a kidnapping at a Delta Wal-Mart was a hoax and th.. http://bit.ly/75Yo1P
denvernewsnow (Denver News Now) Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:32:21 -0000
Police: Wal-Mart Kidnapping A Hoax: Police say the report of a kidnapping at a Delta Wal-Mart was a hoax and th.. http://bit.ly/75Yo1P
@SweetSawa tell him Im kidnapping you & bringing you w/ me & @mslicia1 to club this week so he better get his shit together or else
MzBDominique (B.Crosby) Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:24:38 -0000
@SweetSawa tell him Im kidnapping you & bringing you w/ me & @mslicia1 to club this week so he better get his shit together or else
never fall asleep while watching something about the 7 deadly sins, you may have weird dreams about the bible & kidnapping baby jesus
cornix_regina (Toni Higgs) Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:23:29 -0000
never fall asleep while watching something about the 7 deadly sins, you may have weird dreams about the bible & kidnapping baby jesus

Subscribe to Kidnapping RSS feed