What was the Little Lindbergh Law in California?

The term Little Lindbergh Law was popularly used to refer to the federal kidnapping statute passed after Charles Lindbergh's son was abducted, but it was also applied to state legislation like California's law that made certain kidnappings a capital offense. Under a loosely interpreted version of this California statute, convicted robber and kidnapper Caryl Chessman was sentenced to death in 1948. His subsequent legal battles and memoirs from death row drew international attention and fueled the movement against capital punishment.

What we know

• The Federal Kidnapping Act passed by United States Congress after the Lindbergh kidnapping is popularly known as the Little Lindbergh Law. [1, 2]
• In California, the term was also used to describe a state law that defined kidnapping as a capital offense under certain circumstances. [5]
• Caryl Chessman was sentenced to death in 1948 under California's Little Lindbergh Law for a series of crimes committed in the Los Angeles area. [4, 5]

Where to go next

• whoWho was Caryl Chessman?
• the bigger pictureWhat was the Federal Kidnapping Act?
• what caused itHow did the Lindbergh kidnapping change US federal law?
• a case in pointWhat was Cell 2455, Death Row about?
• what followedHow did capital punishment laws evolve in California?
• an unexpected connectionHow did a condemned criminal become a bestselling author on death row?While sentenced to death under a kidnapping law inspired by Charles Lindbergh's tragedy, Caryl Chessman penned four books, including an international memoir that was adapted into a Hollywood film.

Sources

• [1]Federal Kidnapping Act (Wikidata Q5440269) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Federal Kidnapping Act · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Charles Lindbergh · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Cell 2455 Death Row · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Caryl Chessman · CC BY-SA 4.0