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Maryland Kidnapping/Abduction Laws

According to Md. Criminal Law Code Ann. § 3-502, a person is guilty of kidnapping if s/he, by force or fraud, carry or cause a person to be carried in or outside Maryland with the intent to have the person carried or concealed in or outside Maryland.

The elements of kidnapping are (1) a restraint of the victim’s freedom (2) against his or her will (3) aggravated by carrying the victim to some other place.[i]

In Maryland Kidnapping is a felony and on conviction the offender is subject to imprisonment not exceeding 30 years.

Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) is responsible for maintenance of Maryland’s Criminal Justice Information Repository, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board, the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions, the Emergency Number Systems Board and many other valuable criminal justice functions.  DPSCS protects the public, its employees, and detainees and offenders under its supervision.

Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services


[i] Johnson v. State, 292 Md. 405, 439 A.2d 542 (1982).


Inside Maryland Kidnapping/Abduction Laws