Kidnapping is the act of seizing and holding a person against his or her will. The word kidnap comes from the two slang words kid, or child, and nab, which means to steal. At one time kidnapping referred especially to stealing children. However, the word kidnapping has come to be used also in cases where adults are seized and held.
In an earlier era, slaves were often kidnapped and sold in the slave markets. Sailing ships were occasionally stopped, and entire crews were impressed, or forced to work on other ships. Individual sailors were often kidnapped from port cities and made to work at sea. An illegal arrest is a form of kidnapping. Fleeing criminals often kidnap one or more people and hold them as hostages to reduce the chance of being captured. Kidnapping has also been used by political terrorists seeking to force governments to meet their demands.
Kidnapping for ransom, or reward, became common in the United States during the 1920’s and 1930’s. After Charles A. Lindbergh’s son was kidnapped and killed in 1932, the U.S. Congress passed the “Lindbergh law.” This law makes kidnapping a federal crime if the victim is taken out of the state. In 1956, Congress changed the law to allow the Federal Bureau of Investigation to work on any kidnap case after 24 hours. The maximum punishment for kidnapping is life imprisonment.
Kidnappings of children are a major concern. Cases of abduction by a separated parent are fairly common. Kidnapping by strangers prompted the development and expansion of a child abduction alert system to quickly notify the public and the police of any such occurrence.
See also Hostage .
