unlawful confinement
Wrongful holding captive
Unlawful confinement is the crime of restraining someone's movement without legal authority or consent.
It encompasses holding someone against their will—whether in a room, vehicle, or any space they cannot freely leave.
The charge typically requires that the confinement be intentional and that the victim was aware of the restraint: He was charged with unlawful confinement after locking his girlfriend in the apartment.
Distinguished from kidnapping, which usually involves moving the victim, unlawful confinement focuses on the restriction itself.
- hostage-takingSeizing persons for demands
- abductionUnlawful seizure of person
- kidnappingUnlawful seizure of person
- held against willConfined by force
- coercionPressured compliance through threats
bound and gagged · Stockholm syndrome · captor · captivity · locked room · human trafficking · false imprisonment · wrongful imprisonment · illegal detention · learned helplessness · PTSD · trauma · ransom · due process violation · isolation · psychological abuse · emotional distress · disappearance
unlawful confinementfreedom
Absence of constraint
liberty · release · liberation · emancipation · free movement
unlawful confinementright to liberty
Entitlement to personal freedom
habeas corpus · constitutional protection · civil liberty · personal freedom · bodily autonomy