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CHAPTER IX - Concepts in Hostage Categories of Hostage

This document discusses hostage and barricade situations, categories of hostages, and personality types of hostage-takers. It defines two concepts in hostage-barricade situations: 1) hostage-takers willingly confront authorities and are willing to discuss the situation, and 2) hostage-takers do not intend to harm hostages but want to coerce authorities. It describes categories of hostages as civilians, officials, or military personnel. It outlines personality types of hostage-takers such as psychotics, personality disorders like anti-social and inadequate personalities. The document provides tactics for negotiators, including establishing communication, stalling for time, obtaining information, and calming hostage-takers.

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Erica Marie Bagon
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1K views4 pages

CHAPTER IX - Concepts in Hostage Categories of Hostage

This document discusses hostage and barricade situations, categories of hostages, and personality types of hostage-takers. It defines two concepts in hostage-barricade situations: 1) hostage-takers willingly confront authorities and are willing to discuss the situation, and 2) hostage-takers do not intend to harm hostages but want to coerce authorities. It describes categories of hostages as civilians, officials, or military personnel. It outlines personality types of hostage-takers such as psychotics, personality disorders like anti-social and inadequate personalities. The document provides tactics for negotiators, including establishing communication, stalling for time, obtaining information, and calming hostage-takers.

Uploaded by

Erica Marie Bagon
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter IX

Concepts in Hostage/Categories of Hostage

At the end of this chapter the student should be able to understand:

 Define the concepts of hostage- barricade situation;


 Explain the different types of hostage-takers to deal with the law
enforcement agencies.

TWO BASIC CONCEPTS IN HOSTAGE-BARRICADE SITUATION

1. In hostage-barricade situation, the hostage-takers have placed themselves


willingly or unwillingly in direct confrontation with the authorities and therefore they
must be prepared to deal with them. Since there is a confrontation, it is safe to
conclude that the hostage-takers are willing to discuss the situation.
2. It is not in the interest of the hostage-takers to get violent. They do not take
hostages with the expressed purpose of taking their hostages’ lives. They do it in
0order to coerce the authorities to behave in certain ways and eventually to
exchange the hostages for something they want.

CATEGORIES OF HOSTAGES

The hostages could be simple civilians, government officials or military/personnel


of various stages in life, position or rank.

a. Criminals -are generally interested in money, escape or personal safety.


b. Mentally - deranged individuals – takes hostages because of something that
may have provoked them. They probably not engaged in planning whatsoever.
c. Terrorists - whether political or religious tend to be dedicated to their cause and
are willing to risk their lives to ensure its success. They are generally part of an
organization which has objectives and expectations which they feel obligated to
meet.

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PERSONALITY TYPES OF HOSTAGE-TAKERS

A. The most common disorders involved in hostage-taking are psychotics and


personality disorders.

1. Types of Psychotics
a. Paranoid Schizophrenics

- They are characterized by persistent false mental perceptions or beliefs


such as delusions of persecution. Their thinking is often loose and
makes no sense. They can appear normal at some moments and
psychotic at other times.
b. Psychotic Depressives
- They experience extreme sadness, hopelessness, feelings of
inadequacy, worthlessness, slow thinking and speech and
indecisiveness. They have less concentration and are prone to suicide.
2. Personality Disorders
a. Anti-social Personalities- They are repeatedly in conflict with society, thus,
are incapable of loyalty and are selfish, callous and irresponsible. They feel
no guilt and have a low frustration tolerance. They tend to blame others no
matter what the circumstances are. They are probably the most difficult
personality type to deal with.
b. Inadequate Personalities- They are unable to respond effectively to
emotional, social, intellectual and physical demands. They show ineptness,
poor judgment, social instability and they lack physical and emotional
stamina.

QUICK RECOGNITION POINTS

1. If a person’s behavior is weird, he is probably a paranoid schizophrenic.

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2. If his response is something like ‘” go away and leave me alone”, he is probably a
psychotic depressive.
3. If the demands are fairly realistic, he may be an antisocial personality.
4. If he is totally unrealistic, the person is most likely an inadequate personality.

TACTICS AGAINST HOSTAGE-TAKERS

1. ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN COMMUNICATION

a. problem-solving climate- show desire to understand


b. climate of compromise- adopt give and take attitude and by showing a
willingness to bargain and yield when necessary.
2. STALL FOR TIME

- reduce the stress environment


- allow for negotiations external to the conflict zone.
Permit the implementation of active hostage rescue efforts.

3. OBTAIN INFORMATION

- THE NEGOTIATOR CAN USE OPEN-ENDED OR CLOSE ENDED


questions depending on the initial reactions of the hostage-takers.
- In restatement of content, the negotiator must repeat in his own words what
he thinks he has heard.
- In reflection of feeling the negotiator or must pay attention to what is said
and how it was said.

4. CALM THE HOSTAGE-TAKERS BY USING

1. MODELING – the negotiator must talk and respond in a calm and controlled
manner using a very conversational tone.

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2. VENTILATION- Give the hostage-takers time to talk without interrupting
them.
3. DISTRACTION- use this to draw the attention of the hostage-takers away
from whatever is bothering them.

5. ESTABLISH RAPPORT
6. USE PERSUASION- Deal with small issues first thus creating as atmosphere
of success.

- Maintain non-threatening communications, both verbal and non-verbal.


- Agree with obvious reluctance to any demands that might be to your
tactical advantage. If the demands are to be advantage of the hostage-
takers or fall in the area of non-negotiable items, stall for time and express
willingness to seek alternative solutions
- Be alert on the development of the Stockholm Syndrome.

The three aspects of this syndrome are:

a. Positive- feeling of the hostages towards the hostage-takers.


b. Negative feeling of the victims towards the authorities.
c. Positive feeling of the hostage-takers towards the victims.

Reference
Topics Video Links
An FBI Negotiator’s Secret to Winning Any https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
Exchange =llctqNJr2IU
Principles of Crisis Intervention https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=6NpaNwcT_GM
Crisis Intervention: Promoting Resilience https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=PJND3wSR7KM

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