Well he wouldn't have been kidnapped in the first place if we disincentivized ransoms! This is a bizarre and emotive discussion, so I'm not sure how much more

Well he wouldn't have been kidnapped in the first place if we disincentivized ransoms! This is a bizarre and emotive discussion, so I'm not sure how much more it's worth saying, but I will leave you with one final question. What law could you possibly make and what "severe criminal penalty" could you possibly impose that would be greater than the natural law that parents would do almost anything to protect their children and what a parent would suffer if they lost a child? I don't believe anyone could ever implement the policy you've been advocating effectively, and at that point, the entire deterrent argument collapses anyway.