How ransom economics encouraged captors to protect prisoners

How were ransom demands set for captives?

In Alex Clarke's family account, demands were set at an amount captives could afford, preserving their value for future ransom.

Alex Clarke describes his Cornish family's ransom demands as a calculation of what a captive could afford. A merchant driven out of business would not return and could not be captured again. An affordable payment left open the prospect of another ransom later. Knights presented the same incentive, while keeping prisoners alive, well fed, and unharmed preserved their value.