Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

Re: Ransom

I'm not quite sure what you're trying to ask. Ransom is the money demanded by kidnappers in exchange for the safe return of the victim (or, in some instances, by thieves in exchange for the safe return of the stolen property). Demanding ransom is a criminal act -- technically it amounts to attempted extortion, or to actual extortion if the ransom is paid, in addition to the underlying crime of kidnapping -- regardless of the amount sought.