Hostage US Guides

for hostages, wrongful detainees, and their families

Hostage US has developed several guides to help former hostages and their families cope with a hostage taking or wrongful detention. Each guide provides an in-depth look at one aspect of the process.

The following are created by Hostage US:

Coping During a Kidnapping covers a hostage taking from the family’s perspective, from the first moment you learn or suspect that a family member has been kidnapped, to whom to contact, to what you can expect from a formal kidnapping response.

A Life After Captivity addresses the questions that former hostages and wrongful detainees face upon returning home, including advice for maintaining mental and physical health, rebuilding a new life with family and friends, and when and how to return to work.

Getting Back to Work addresses similar questions from an organizational perspective, describing what a workplace can do to support former hostages and wrongful detainees as they return to the workforce – either in the job they held prior to being taken hostage or in a different capacity. While there is no universal approach, these best practices can help ease the transition for everyone involved.

Finally, Handling the Media & Social Media covers if, when, and how to interact with the media during a kidnapping or wrongful detention. Again, there is no one-size-fits-all approach but these tips can help guide a family in making difficult decisions about how much to publicize their case, if at all.