Self-Restraint: Difference between revisions
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Wait, what's going on? Why's he just sitting there doing absolutely ''nothing''?
In many characters' lives there might come a moment when leaving a prison would be against everything they stand for. After all, if ''they'' can't obey the law, how could they demand it from anyone else? Or perhaps [[I Gave My Word|they gave their word]] to remain. Besides, [[Clear My Name|they didn't do it]], so there's [[Wrongful Accusation Insurance|nothing to worry about]].
Other characters stick around just because they're better off behind bars. There they are safe from the evils (or goods, as it may be) of the world, possibly lulling their enemies into a false sense of security. Alternatively, they're there just because this week's [[Plot Coupon]] is there as well, and the easiest way in happened to be through the front gate.
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Usually takes place in a [[Cardboard Prison]] or a [[Luxury Prison Suite]]. If the character was arrested to foil some [[Evil Plan]] when getting arrested was their true goal, than its a form of [[Xanatos Gambit]]. When capital punishment is involved, it's [[Forgiveness Requires Death]]. When they invoke the aid of another character, it often overlaps with [[No Matter How Much I Beg]] or [[Kind Restraints]].
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▲{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* In the first episode of ''[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]'', Kamina is thrown in the village lockup after trying to break out. He chills in the jail for a while until Simon shows up and says he found something interesting. At that point he casually snaps his wrist restraints and walks out.
* Fujin and Raijin in ''[[Naruto]]''. They are strong enough to bend the bars of the cell and leave at any time but as long as they have food they are content enough to stay there.
** In the actual manga, {{spoiler|Tobi}} pulls this off after a failed attempt at kidnapping, where he is bound by Yamato's [[Green Thumb|Wood style]] and takes the opportunity to gives some exposition before leaving like he could have at any point.
* Light in ''[[Death Note]]'', as part of his [[Clear My Name]] [[Memory Gambit]].
* In one
* In ''[[Soul Eater]]'' the villain Medusa lets herself get captured by the good guys ''for absolutely no reason other than to taunt them'' by forcing them to make a deal involving her safe release in exchange for information. During the negotiation she asks them to remove her bindings, and when its pointed out that she could've done so herself at any time responds with "There's no meaning to it if I do it myself." [[Magnificent Bastard|Magnificent Bitch]] indeed.
** In the manga however, this is all a part of a huge [[Xanatos Gambit]] to {{spoiler|gain the DWMA's trust so that they allow her to take command of the students during the raid on Arachnaphobia. She lies and tells the kids that her purpose for this is that Arachne has taken Crona. Her REAL purpose is to get her sister Arachne out of the way and take her body. Medusa later reveals to Maka that she was using them the entire time and that Crona has gone too far off the deep end to go back Maka and co.}} Most definitely a [[Manipulative Bitch]].
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* A lengthy plot in ''[[New Warriors]]'' involved Marvel Boy accidentally killing his abusive father with his powers, and being found guilty of manslaughter. When the rest of the Warriors show up to break him out of prison, he refuses to go—he did the crime, he'll do the time.
* [[She-Hulk]] once spent three issues of her own comic in jail for violating a restraining order; worse, the police involved were ''incredibly'' rude about it, counting on this Trope to keep her put. Eventually they dropped the charges to convince her to help stop rogue Celtic god that was rampaging through Cleveland (yes, seriously).
* One of the first superhuman villains [[Spider-Man]] fought (established via [[Retcon]] in ''[[Untold Tales of Spider-Man]]'') was David Lowell, called Sundown by the superhuman community. A [[Freak Lab Accident]] granted him powers on the cosmic scale, including super-strength (potentially rivaling the Hulk's), flight, durability, energy projection, instant healing abilities, the ability to grow to giant size (better than Hank Pym) and teleportation. But gaining these powers also sent him into a pain-induced rage that threatened to level New York. When Spidey showed up, nothing the hero could do could so much as scratch him. Then [[The Avengers]] , [[The Fantastic Four]], the [[X-Men]] and various other New York heroes showed up to help. Nothing ''they'' could muster could [[No Sell|
* One of the oddest crimefighters in [[The Golden Age of Comic Books]] (and one of the oddest examples of this Trope) was #711, created by George Brenner, the creator of the Clock, the first hero in comics to adopt the [[Coat, Hat, Mask]] style. #711 was originally an attorney named Daniel Dyce who decided to do an extraordinary favor for his friend Jacob Horn after the latter is arrested for murder. Dyce confesses to Horn's alleged crimes (it is never truly revealed whether Horn is guilty or not) so Horn can visit his wife, who is about to give birth to her son. Horn promises to turn himself in later and recant Dyce's confession, and he intends to keep this promise, but in a bizarre twist, he's killed in a car accident while going to do so. With nobody to clear him, Dyce is convicted and sentenced to life in prison, but in another bizarre twist, he accidentally discovers a forgotten tunnel underneath the prison, allowing easy access to the outside and easily escape. But he also realizes he has nowhere to go if he does escape. With the ability to go to and from prison as he pleases, he decides to make his own Coat, Hat, Mask identity and fight crime using his prison ID as his nom de plume. This eventually pays off in his favor, as prison gossip often clues him in on criminal schemes, and a lot of crooks he brings down end up in the same prison.
* In ''[[Spider-Gwen]]'', Ghost Spider spends a full arc corrupted by the venom symbiote, committing many evil acts under its influence. When finally freed from it, she takes the [[With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility]] axiom to the logical conclusion, turning herself in, refusing a plea bargain, ''and'' rejecting [[Captain America (comics)|Captain America]]'s offer of [[Boxed Crook]] activities. She even goes so far as to keep quiet about assaults from the other inmates. Ironically, this all works for her benefit in the end, because upon release, the public and the press - even J. Jonah Jameson, whose attitude towards Ghost Spider was pretty much the same as his Earth-616 counterpart is to Spider-Man - has a much higher opinion of her from that point on.
* [[Silver Sable]] was in a situation similar to Gwen in issue #30 of her own series. Sable had never denied that her methods skirted the line of what is legal and ethical, using the justification of being a [[Nazi Hunter]] that her victims were deserving of such treatment, and she was usually correct. Such was then that her mark was Ivan Trefkov, a war criminal who had killed her mother, crippled her father, regarded by her uncle as someone who was “more evil than Hitler”, who “did not deserve to breathe life, did not deserve to die with mercy”... You get the idea, he was a monster. And Sable did not show him mercy; she murdered him in cold blood, and in the aftermath, [[What Have I Become?| felt she had gone farther over the line]] [[Those Who Fight Monsters| than she had ever dared to before]]. Thus when she was arrested and jailed on charges of murder (it seems Ivan had some powerful friends) she refused to try to escape from Riker’s Island or even fight the charges. Even when charges were dropped (by the “request” of her [[Manipulative Bastard]] of an ex-husband, The Foreigner) she spent several issues trying to come to terms with what she had done and whether she had become as much a criminal as those she had fought.
== [[Film]] ==
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** Hornblower ends up being exchanged early as a result though, and promoted to Lieutenant.
* A couple of [[Orson Scott Card]]'s ''Tales of Alvin Maker'' books have done this. Alvin can pretty much go wherever he wants, whenever he wants, but allowed himself to be kept imprisoned twice, though I seem to recall he eventually broke out the second time because there was an emergency.
* In J.R.R. Tolkien's ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', Merry and Pippin get captured by the Uruk-Hai, manage to free themselves and then keep wearing their bonds while they wait for the right moment to escape.
** Subverted when Frodo is captured - Tolkien makes no mention of any sort of restraint on him AND his guards have almost completely annihilated one another, but seeing as he's malnourished, in mental anguish from being separated from the Ring, and also sick from Shelob's poison, he is unable to escape.
* Subverted in ''[[Arsène Lupin]] in Prison'' as there's no question that Lupin is guilty or could easily escape. The only reason he stays in prison is so he is able to pull off a caper that could only be done if he were in prison. In the next story ''The Escape of [[Arsène Lupin]]'' his first escape from prison is part of a plan for particularly spectacular escape.
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* ''[[Supernatural]]'': The Winchesters purposely trip a motion detector to get themselves arrested so they can investigate a haunted prison.
** In another episode they allow themselves to be committed to a mental institute to investigate the deaths of patients. When they are done, they just walk out of the place with minimum of effort.
* How can we forget [[Storm of the Century|Andre Linoge?]]{{who}}
* As part of her [[Heel Face Turn]] on ''[[Angel]]'' Faith turns herself in to the police and is sent to prison for a murder she committed back on ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''. Her breakout when a Slayer is needed 3 seasons later proves she could have escaped any time.
* On ''[[Bones]]'', not only the main character's father, but her brother, do this to restore her respect in them.
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* Played for laughs in ''[[Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development]]'' when GOB ends up in a coalition-run prison in Iraq. {{spoiler|The whole thing is actually a government trick to get him to lead them to some evidence against his father, and they keep intentionally giving him opportunities to escape, but he just points out their "mistakes" each time rather than taking advantage of them.}}
* ''[[Corner Gas]]'': Davis voluntarily goes to jail for charity; the jail cell hasn't had a proper lock for years.
* At least until "The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone" River Song of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' is imprisoned in the Stormcage Prison for some not-yet-specified crime (implied to be murder, possibly of the Doctor himself). When she needs to (normally to go off on some adventure with the Doctor), she will happily escape and even let the guards see her packing her bags and inform them of her plans, and then return to her cell willingly when the adventure is done. In fact, she escaped the first night she was there simply to keep a date with her boyfriend and then returning to her cell before anyone noticed. Why she does this instead of just leaving for good is not clear, although it is possible that, in her ridiculously convoluted time-travel relationship with the Doctor, she needs somewhere where she can reliably be expected to be.
** As of "The Wedding Of River Song" we know that {{spoiler|she is indeed imprisoned for killing the Doctor; in truth,
* In ''The Jailhouse Job'' on [[Leverage]] {{spoiler|_Nate}}, arrested in the season 2 finale, refuses the team's offer of rescue until someone else is in trouble.
== [[Oral Tradition]], [[Folklore]], Myths and Legends ==
* Christ Jesus, who willingly gave himself up to suffer something as terrible as crucifixion so we wouldn't have to, making this [[Older Than Feudalism]]: "Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and he will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?" ([[The Bible|Matthew 26:53 NKJV]])
** In the same book, two missionaries (Paul and Silas, to be exact) are locked up in jail when a miracle happens and the jail wall collapses. The guard freaks out that he'll be punished, but then sees that they just stayed in their cell singing hymns.
== [[Video Games]] ==
* The introduction of ''[[Final Fight]]'' character Cody
* In ''[[Breath of Fire]]'', you encounter Karn for the first time when you get thrown in jail. He's sleeping there. Bug him enough and he'll open the doors so you can escape... then go back to sleep.
* In ''[[Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World]]'', Izoold has been damaged by several acts of arson. The man in jail for these crimes is {{spoiler|Regal Bryant, wearing his trademark shackles.}} After you clear his name, he is released from jail, whereupon he immediately breaks his shackles and suggests that Izoold use a stronger brand {{spoiler|(from the Lezareno company, natch).}}
** Regal did this in earlier in ''[[Tales of Symphonia]]'', using a [[
* In ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]'', Rinoa surrenders herself to be imprisoned and have her sorceress powers sealed in order to prevent the [[Big Bad]] from being able to possess her. [[Always Save the Girl|Then Squall breaks her back out anyway,]] but it was a nice thought.
* In ''[[Dragon Age: Origins]]'', assuming the Warden does not try to fight Ser Cauthrien, she arrests the Warden (and Alistair, if he's in the part) and detains them in a prison cell. Should the player then take the option to attempt escape on their own, it proves almost laughably easy. However, the player can instead enact this Trope and wait for the other party members to attempt a jailbreak, in which case the player's control shifts to them - given how ''fun'' both options are, it's almost regrettable that you can't choose both.
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* [[Miss Dynamite]] from the
* ''[[Girl Genius]]'' had Tarvek strapped into a strange contraption with spikes and knives, begging for help. It turns out {{spoiler|he wanted to know the other party's loyalties, and be ignored as helpless if a fight erupts. When it's over, he just makes the "torture device" release him, stretches and proceeds to the next stage of his plan}}.
**
* Implied to be the case with the inhumanly strong and almost literally unstoppable [[Lightning Bruiser|Mister Inertia]] in ''[[General Protection Fault]]'', as he seems to be waiting for something while in UGA captivity.
* Frequently subverted in ''[[Schlock Mercenary]]''. The company policy is that when a mercenary is arrested they ''stay put and don't break anything'', because posting bail is fairly cheap and doesn't have the drawback of making the government issue a warrant for you in case you want to come back to the system. Unfortunately, mercenaries get bored.
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** Xanatos himself served his prison time quietly during a significant chunk of Season 1, despite having the impressive resources of his multinational corporation to call upon.
* Beast in the 90s ''[[X-Men (animation)|X-Men]]'' cartoon was once wrongly sent to prison. Magneto, thinking this would make him bitter, broke him out in an attempt to recruit him as an ally - at which point Beast politely asked him to leave, as he wished to stand trial and prove his innocence. Also emphasized in a later scene where Gambit is visiting him and Beast casually bends the bars to his cell (and then straightens them again) to let him in.
* In one series of ''[[Underdog]]'' cartoons, the hero is framed for various crimes by a criminal gemcutter named Tap-Tap, who is working for the gangster Riff-Raff. Eventually he turns himself in, not to exonerate himself, but because Tap-Tap's disguise is ''so'' convincing, he even fools Underdog himself, who assumes he was sleepwalking. Although the hero could escape from jail any time, he does not, and the ruse is discovered when Riff-Raff does it for him, breaking him out because they needed him to cut a large diamond that Tap-Tap couldn't dent. Naturally, [[Stupid Crooks|
* In the [[Ruby-Spears]] ''[[Mega Man (animation)|Mega Man]]'' cartoon, one episode had Mega get arrested by humans who, thanks to Wily, thought he was behind the [[Evil Plan]] of the week. As he didn't want to harm the humans, he let himself be handcuffed and led away. When his name was cleared, he snapped the cuffs easily.
* In the ''[[Transformers Generation 1]]'' 2-parter "Megatron's Master Plan", Megatron tricks the world into believing that the Autobots are evil and the Decepticons are good. Despite being easily powerful enough to do whatever they feel like regardless of public opinion, the Autobots submit to arrest, sit through a trial, and agree to be banished from the planet, only deciding to come back after Megatron reprograms their navigation system to fly them into the sun.
* On ''[[The Looney Tunes Show]]'', [[Bugs Bunny]] and [[Daffy Duck]] are put in prison, and Bugs finds that prison life agrees with him; free meals, free gym, and best of all, protection from the other prisoners so he can insult them indiscriminently ("It's a smart-aleck's paradise!"). When they both escape [[Chained Heat|shackled to each other]], all Bugs wants is to turn himself in. And once they have served their sentence, Bugs has to be dragged out kicking and screaming.
* ''[[Harley Quinn (TV series)|Harley Quinn]]'':
** In "Riddle U", the Riddler takes over Gotham University, providing electricity to the place by forcing students run on giant hamster wheels; Harley and Ivy capture him and subject him to his own medicine, using him to power the mall they use as a hideout. The next episode, Riddler shows he can escape easily, but decides to stay because Gotham is in a state of anarchy, and by staying, he gets fed, gets lots of exercise, and best of all, gets "free entertainment" watching Harley's gang squabble amongst themselves. In later episodes, this pays off for him, as the constant workouts turn turns him from a skinny non-action villain [[Took A Level In Badass|to a muscular powerhouse]] whom Harley stands no chance against in a fist-fight.
** In a later episode, Harley breaks ''into'' Arkham thinking it's the best way to let Ivy have a decent wedding while having a quiet place to sulk, figuring she could just escape later. {{spoiler|Unfortunately, Two-Face sees the perfect opportunity to use Harley as an [[Unwitting Pawn]].}}
* In a ''[[Popeye]]'' cartoon, Olive becomes a police officer, and Popeye thinks such a job is too dangerous for her; he tries to protect her, but only messes up and hurts himself each time, eventually being arrested (by Olive, ironically) when he gets involved in a brawl. However, [[Properly Paranoid|his hunch is proven right]] when a masher (not Bluto this time, oddly) tries to assault Olive; he hears her screams and, proving the jail could never hold him, breaks out and rescues her.
* Played with in an episode of ''[[Spider-Man: The Animated Series]]'', where members of S.H.I.E.L.D. grab [[Da Editor|J. Jonah Jameson]] so [[Nick Fury]] can have a word with him, accidentally grabbing Peter along with him. This means they have to detain Peter while Jonah and Fury have their talk; while Peter realizes it wouldn't be a good idea to simply break out of the cell and give his identity away, he's rather curious, so he undoes a vent entrance in order to find Jonah and listen in. He manages to do so and get back before anyone notices.
==
* [[Truth in Television]], every now and then. The one that comes to this troper's mind involves a preacher who was sued for libel and refused to post bail to make a point. The prison wasn't particularly nice, either, and aggravated his health problems. OTOH, his accuser was discredited and fled the country.
* If we are to believe the autobiography of the Renaissance goldsmith and sculptor, Benvenuto Cellini, he was guilty of several crimes during his lifetime. However, the time he went to jail was for no real crime (a false accusation by his servant). Yet, since it was his "first" offense - he was never caught previously - he was not locked in, but allowed to roam the St. Angelo castle, where he was imprisoned, quite freely. Touched by the kindness of the castle's governor, Cellini stayed in jail freely, despite even the soldiers in the castle offering to aid him in his escape, since they were aware that he was condemned wrongly. Cellini's word, however was a word of honor.
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