Kidnapping And Violence

This book analyzes kidnapping in various forms and from various perspectives. First it argues that kidnapping, including the threat of kidnapping, reflects a breakdown in the mechanisms of social control in society. This volume also discusses the ways governments and para-military and terrorist groups employ kidnappings as part of their foreign and domestic policy. This analysis evaluates why and under what conditions governments, para-military and terrorist groups decide to abduct individuals and groups. It emphasizes how individuals, groups, and governments employ abductions to achieve their psychological, social, religious, and political objectives. This analysis also examines the ways in which cultural traditions in different societies emerge to foster behaviors such as bride abductions. Moreover, this book addresses the extent to which social change modifies these cultural patterns. Suitable for students and researchers, mental health practitioners, and law enforcement, this volume is a unique analysis of our contemporary understanding of kidnapping and violence, and the social, psychological, political, and cultural motivations for such an act.

IF YOU FIND ME DEAD, THIS IS WHO KIDNAPPED ME . . . . (Note hidden in boot by Abby Drover) Audiobook release coming summer 2021! More than 91⁄2 hours narrated by the author and others, including cameos by Abby and her kidnapper! Exclusively on Amazon, Audible and iTunes A true crime classic that made headlines around the world, shocking and moving everyone including some of the biggest celebrities -- among them tough guy crooner Frank Sinatra still pained by his own son's kidnapping a decade before. "Compelling . . . an inspiration for others to reach out!" -- Leeza Gibbons, NBC-TV. "Utterly stunning . . . inspirational . . . riveting," -- readers' comments on Amazon. Long before the Cleveland house of horrors, readers were awed by this gripping, in-depth narrative of non fiction and suspense -- and now you can get the updated, second Kindle edition with a brand new cover, stunning new revelations, and eight pages of photographs! Trapped, chained and abused for months in her dismal underground cell at the age of 12 and then 13, courageous Abby hides a note identifying her kidnapper. She prays for a miracle -- but she despairs that her fate is sealed and is heartbreakingly realistic about her prospects. "If I don't live through this," says her tear-stained plea. "I would like my body to be cremated and the ashes poured all over my house on 1617 Barnet Highway. "PS: If you find me dead, my killer is . . . He kidnapped me on the morning of March 10, 1976. I also died, if so, after my 13th birthday." Abby then stoically hides this note identifying her kidnapper in the lining of one of her boots, assuming it will eventually be found somewhere along the shoreline together with her lifeless body. Instead, readers will discover how everyone worked tirelessly to solve the mystery, including a self-proclaimed psychic who incredibly and almost exactly pinpointed Abby's whereabouts! Now years later, the author, who originally covered her improbable rescue as a newspaper reporter, collaborates with Abby to tell you her story, and explore the twisted mind of her abductor. In her own words, Abby describes how she was abused and starved during six months of solitary confinement as she lay helplessly captive less than half a block from home -- and how she has since survived her harrowing ordeal. In addition, you can now glimpse into the mind of a supposedly reformed kidnapper, who seeks freedom and expects Abby to forgive him. The kidnapper claims he has never abused anyone else and, incredibly, has numerous misguided supporters whom he continues to deceive almost to his final days -- when the awful truth finally comes out. But ultimately, through these shocking, deeply moving pages, there emerges an inspirational testimony to one young girl's gulp-inducing courage--and her indomitable will to triumph. "Gripping . . .compelling, tightly written . . . flair for investigation," -- Paul Musgrove, The Vancouver Sun. "A gripping story of real-life horror and suspense, written with Drover's co-operation," Cathleen Fillmore, Quill & Quire Magazine. "Illuminating, highly commendable, good reading."

For over thirty years, modern Italy was plagued by ransom kidnappings perpetrated by bandits and organized crime syndicates. Nearly 700 men, women, and children were abducted from across the country between the late 1960s and the late 1990s, held hostage by members of the Sardinian banditry, Cosa Nostra, and the ’Ndrangheta. Subjected to harsh captivities and psychological abuse, the victims spent months and even years in isolation while law enforcement and the state struggled to find them. Ransom Kidnapping in Italy examines this Italian criminal phenomenon. Alessandra Montalbano argues that abduction is a key vantage point from which to understand modern Italy: it troubled the law, terrified society, ignited juridical and parliamentary debates, and mobilized citizens. Bringing together archival and media materials with the victims’ accounts and diverse forms of cultural response, the book examines ransom kidnapping through the lenses of historiography, law, literary criticism, trauma studies, phenomenology, and political philosophy. Ransom Kidnapping in Italy traces how and at what price Italians became aware of living in a country that was being blackmailed by criminal organizations that arguably jeoparded the nation even more than terrorism.

When the world's foremost kidnap and ransom negotiator is snatched by a ruthless drug cartel, Jake Riley becomes ensnared in the effort to save him. But he's up against Los Zetas, an elite paramilitary organization renowned for its ferocity and skill. Now he and his colleagues must navigate the dark underbelly of Mexico, from raging street wars to perilous jungles, in an effort to rescue him before time runs out. After nearly losing her life on her last case, FBI Agent Kelly Jones may never do fieldwork again. Determined to regain her confidence, she joins Jake on his mission—and quickly realizes she's in over her head. Then in the slums of Mexico City, she encounters a former nemesis who's enacting a nightmarish ritual on the weak and vulnerable. Now she has one last, desperate shot to prove herself—by taking down a killer.

Surviving Kidnappers is a detailed guide from conflict expert Olav Ofstad which takes readers through the process of kidnap survival, guiding them through the critical steps from assault through captivity to freedom. What would you do if you were kidnapped? Starting with the assault, this book explains the mindset required to stay calm and make intelligent decisions. Moving on to the often gruelling transportation phase, advice is offered on how to brave it and pick up on crucial information. For the phase of captivity this book offers practical advice as well as mental activities that can reduce the risk of being traumatised. The author identifies closely with you as the reader, explaining in simple terms the practical application of social psychology, influencing the captor to your advantage and relating to angry and violent kidnappers. Protection tools and how to apply ‘diplomacy’ if violence occurs are presented.

Winner of a 2020-2021 New York City Book Award In a rapidly changing New York, two forces battled for the city's soul: the pro-slavery New Yorkers who kept the illegal slave trade alive and well, and the abolitionists fighting for freedom. We often think of slavery as a southern phenomenon, far removed from the booming cities of the North. But even though slavery had been outlawed in Gotham by the 1830s, Black New Yorkers were not safe. Not only was the city built on the backs of slaves; it was essential in keeping slavery and the slave trade alive. In The Kidnapping Club, historian Jonathan Daniel Wells tells the story of the powerful network of judges, lawyers, and police officers who circumvented anti-slavery laws by sanctioning the kidnapping of free and fugitive African Americans. Nicknamed "The New York Kidnapping Club," the group had the tacit support of institutions from Wall Street to Tammany Hall whose wealth depended on the Southern slave and cotton trade. But a small cohort of abolitionists, including Black journalist David Ruggles, organized tirelessly for the rights of Black New Yorkers, often risking their lives in the process. Taking readers into the bustling streets and ports of America's great Northern metropolis, The Kidnapping Club is a dramatic account of the ties between slavery and capitalism, the deeply corrupt roots of policing, and the strength of Black activism.

Colombia has been plagued by communist subver-sive movements for more than four decades. This problem was compounded by the growth of powerful drug cartels two decades ago. The Colombian drug cartels came to dominate the cocaine markets worldwide and have lately branched out to the production of opium based products. The cartels reacted vigorously, unconstrained by legal niceties. They are still in conflict in areas of the country where the drug barons invest in prime cattle raising land. But they have entered into an uneasy alliance in coca growing areas. Initially in these remote areas, the guerrillas were content to "tax" growth and processing but they eventually became involved in the business directly. This involvement greatly increased the guerrilla groups' income. Their kidnapping activity did not diminish. As a matter of fact, kidnap victims can be held with impunity in these areas of coca growing activity. The Colombian conflict is not well understood in the United States or Europe. Scholars, politicians and the general public in the developed world are subjected to the propaganda of the left which portrays the Colombian subversive movements, including their armed components, as well meaning idealists fighting for the poor. Although idealism and in some cases legitimate grievances gave rise to the subversive movements decades ago, today their main motivation has become simple greed. A negotiated peace settlement is thus very difficult. No amount of political concessions, short of handing over the government are likely to satisfy a leadership used to a huge inflow of money from drugs, kidnapping and extortion. The author has based the story on extensive inter views and research touching most of the actors involved in typical kidnapping cases. We at the Center believe that she has managed to portray the human drama as well as the weaknesses of the Colombian state that allow the "kidnapping industry" to prosper. The success of kidnapping by the guerrillas in Colombia has inevitably produced an awareness by other criminal groups of the potential profits involved. Not only have common criminal gangs in Colombia followed suit, but kidnapping is also a growing problem in Colombia's neighbors, Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela, as well as in México. The world paid much attention to kidnapping in the Middle East, but ¡s largely unaware of the extent of the problem in Latin America. Statistics, however, are cold. The story of one family is a better way to have us "feel" the pain and disruption kidnapping produces in a community. When the subversive groups and their leftist supporters abroad talk about "retention of people for the financing of their noble cause", we can now know what involved is really. The effect of kidnapping ¡s difficult to measure in economic terms, but undoubtedly the investment climate, both domestic and foreign is severely affected. Important executives and the very wealthy hire large squads of bodyguards for protection. A high cost for the economy. Small entrepreneurs, like the Mazueras, the family in the main story, cannot afford this. A kidnapping severely weakens their capital base and hardly stimulates them to continue the development of their businesses. This effect has acted as a brake to Colombian development. Why should an internal conflict such as Colombia's worry Americans or Europeans in the post-cold war era? Is not violent communism dead? The answer to the first question ¡s: YES, there is reason to worry. The answer to the second ¡s: NO, violent communism, however debased and obsolete, is not dead. The methods of Colombia's subversive movements are spreading. Subversive organizations are emerging in México, for example. Kidnapping is on the rise in that country, now part of the North American Free Trade Area, and a country that shares a long border with the US. The involvement of armed guerrillas bands with drugs make the drug trade much more difficult to suppress.