unlawful imprisonment
Holding someone captive
Unlawful imprisonment is the crime of restraining someone's freedom of movement without legal authority or consent.
Unlike kidnapping, it doesn't require moving the victim—holding someone in a room against their will qualifies.
The term also describes civil liability for such restraint: She sued her ex-boyfriend for unlawful imprisonment after he locked her in his apartment.
- kidnappingUnlawful seizure of person
- held against willConfined by force
- fearEmotional response to threat
- cry for helpUrgent request for assistance
- cellBasic unit of life
behind bars · abduction · criminal charges · lock · habeas corpus · hostage-taking · locked room · trauma · emotional scars · chains · coercion · bars · handcuffs · compensation · powerlessness · civil lawsuit · shackle · anxiety
- detentionjail, detention centers, captive, detention orders, captivity
- domestic abusedomestic violence, battering, batterer, spousal abuse, wife beating
unlawful imprisonmentfreedom
Absence of constraint
liberty · release · emancipation · liberation · free movement
unlawful, imprisonment, lawful, lawfully, unlawfully, lawless, lawlessness, lawyer, outlaw