This handbook was written for parents, law enforcement officers, attorneys, and government officials who deal directly with cases of parental kidnapping. It provides a guide through the criminal and civil justice systems and a summary of the laws on parental kidnapping. Actions that parents can take and laws that may help them when their children are the victims of parental kidnapping are described. Law enforcement information on criminal charges, investigations, arrest, conviction, and victim assistance is provided in chapter 1. In chapter 2, several court-related issues are addressed: finding, hiring, and consulting with a lawyer; free legal service; obtaining custody; enforcing a custody decree; and child-snatching lawsuits. Chapter 3 lists support groups and sources of information useful when searching for a child. Chapter 4 is concerned with legally recovering a child. In chapter 5, psychological counseling, acting as a witness, and visitation rights after an abduction are discussed. Chapter 6 deals with ways of preventing an abduction, and chapter 7 outlines the rights of noncustodial parents. Chapter 8 provides information on relevant legislation, including state parental kidnapping laws, state missing children laws, the Missing Children Act, the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act, and the Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act of 1980. Selected support groups are listed by state and books for additional reading are suggested. (NRB)