Kidnapping

Kidnapping is a serious crime that is prohibited by both federal and state laws. It is commonly defined as the taking of a person against his or her will, or restricting that person to a confined space.

Although kidnapping is a crime that frequently receives a great deal of media attention, relatively few stereotypical kidnappings involving abductions by strangers take place each year.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, although several hundred thousand children are reported missing each year, only slightly more than 100 are kidnapped by someone the child does not know.

Most abductions are the result of conduct by family members or friends. Although kidnapping of adults may also occur, there are no current statistics on the number of adult abductions that happen each year.

Elements of Kidnapping

Kidnapping can occur in two circumstances. First, it may arise when an individual is removed, against his or her will, from a location and taken to another location.

This makes the transportation of the individual an essential element of the crime, and the movement must be more than something slight or inconsequential.

However, kidnapping may also occur when an individual is not transported to a new location, but is instead confined against his or her will in a certain space.

If the victim is restrained in a manner that restricts his or her freedom of movement, this is enough to constitute kidnapping.

Courts have even recognized the crime when a person is confined to his or her own home, without the ability to leave.