Ransom – the term applies to the Criminal Law in many jurisdictions. It refers to huge amount of money which kidnapper asks in order to release a kidnapped person, or stolen item. In fact, many kidnappings are done namely in order such sum to be asked and collected. This is the main purpose of these crimes. Very often organized groups of criminals do kidnapping for getting money from the victim. The kidnapping is a serious crime, punished with a long jail sentence.
A synonym is ‘liberation money” or “release money”.
Example: “The family has agreed to pay the asked ransom for the redemption of their kidnapped son”.
