History Main / PreferJailToTheProtagonist

** The Tattletale Strangler disguises himself as a bodyguard to get close enough to [=SpongeBob=] to strangle him for turning him in. However, [=SpongeBob=]'s frequent delays, culminating in ''two'' surprise parties, drive the Strangler so insane he throws himself into prison in order to get away from him. [[spoiler: A BrickJoke from after the second party results in the Strangler sharing a cell with ''Patrick'', implying he's still not out of the woods on that front.]]
** Mrs. Puff gets sent to jail in [[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS3E5MermaidManAndBarnacleBoyIVDoingTime Doing Time]]. She ''loves'' it in there, simply because she doesn't have to deal with [=SpongeBob=] anymore.

[[folder: Anime And Manga ]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* In ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman'' story arc of the Superman comics, Batman catches a terrorist who was going to use Superman's funeral as an opportunity to assassinate a world leader. Batman caught him and said that in Superman's honor, he'd do things Superman's way. The assassin is left tied to a flagpole begging to be arrested because "Batman might come back!"

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* The ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short, "Bugs and Thugs", has WesternAnimation/BugsBunny trick Rocky and Mugsy into hiding in a stove, then later impersonate a policeman and light the stove with them still inside. When the real policeman shows up, Rocky and Mugsy beg for him to take them to jail.
* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Tiny Toon Adventures}}'' episode, "Take Elmyra Please" has Arthur Jabba's henchmen, George and Leonard, kidnap Elmyra Duff and hold her for ransom in exchange for her father's fuel formula. Elmyra thinks their hideout is a TV studio and her antics drive George and Leonard up the wall, to the point where by the time her younger brother, Duncan, and the police show up, George and Leonard beg for the police to take them to jail. Of course, since the kidnapping was Mr. Jabba's idea, they rat him out and he is arrested as well.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls''

* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' 4th season, Dr. Light faces Raven using her dark powers, whereas exposure to that in the 1st season reduced him into a shivering wreck. Upon seeing that thing again in the 4th season, Dr. Light goes from "No one defeats Dr. Light!" into "I'd like to go to jail now, please."
* Variation in ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman''. In one episode, Penguin tries to hand himself over to Batman because an even more dangerous vigilante named 'Rumor' has begun attacking Gotham's criminal community. Everyone knows that criminals who cross Batman end up handed over to the police and arrested, but criminals Rumor targets are abducted and never seen again, so Penguin decides a jail cell is the safest place he can be.

** In "Joker's Favor", the protagonist is an ordinary man who has the misfortune to become the Joker's "hobby". After a whole episode of torment, he seemingly snaps and confronts the Joker, frightening him so much that ''the Joker calls Batman for help''.
** After his encounter with the Creeper, the Joker ''surrenders'' to Batman, declaring the Creeper "a lunatic" without any irony whatsoever.

* An AccidentalHero example: In the 1936 WesternAnimation/PorkyPig short ''The Blow Out'', Porky, here a young child, is trying to earn spending money by returning objects that grown-ups have dropped. He thus innocently chases a MadBomber around, repeatedly handing his activated TimeBomb back to him. The increasingly frazzled bomber finally runs voluntarily into an open police wagon, only for [[TheDeterminator Porky]] to [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption toss the bomb in after him]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes''. In the "[[Recap/AvengersEarthsMightiestHeroesS2E3ActsOfVengeance Acts of Vengeance]]" episode, Baron Zemo and the remaining members of the [[LegionOfDoom Masters of Evil]] surrender themselves into the custody of the Avengers so they will have to protect them from the Enchantress who is on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge after she was betrayed in "[[Recap/AvengersEarthsMightiestHeroesS1E24ThisHostageEarth This Hostage Earth]]".

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'':

* In the animated adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueTheFlashpointParadox'' when Batman/Thomas Wayne fights a criminal named Yo-Yo, he tries to grill her for information on the Joker [[spoiler: who in this rendition is Martha Wayne turned insane from losing Bruce]]. When Yo-Yo refuses to divulge any information, Thomas throws her off the building they were fighting on. Cyborg arrives and quickly catches her, to which Yo-Yo is she more then happy to surrender to him then deal with Thomas again.

* One episode of ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'', had a rising mob boss who used YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness or TheMobBossIsScarier liberally. In the end Goron manages to use this against him by making it look like one of his henchmen was plotting against him, meaning said henchman practically begged Goren to arrest him and cut a deal.

* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureDiamonsIsUnbreakable'' villain Akira Otoishi is in prison for robbery, though he committed worse crimes that cannot be revealed due to TheMasquerade. He's perfectly fine with this, since he's terrified of the alternative of Okuyasu and Josuke dealing with him for his more serious crimes of murdering Okuyasu's brother and trying to kill Josuke's father.

* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventure'' villain Akira Otoishi is in prison for robbery, though he committed worse crimes that cannot be revealed due to TheMasquerade. He's perfectly fine with this, since he's terrified of the alternative of Okuyasu and Josuke dealing with him for his more serious crimes of murdering Okuyasu's brother and trying to kill Josuke's father.

* In a comic book published by Creator/DellComics based on [[DanceSensation the Twist]] ([[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer yes, you read that correctly]]), [[http://www.misterkitty.org/extras/stupidcovers/twist13.jpg a one page comic]] sees a man released from jail after 25 years. He returns to where he used to hang out, only to witness everyone doing the Twist. He promptly runs back to jail.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'' episode "Tooth or Dare", a [[PantheraAwesome saber-toothed tiger]] ([[SomewhereAPaleontologistIsCrying depicted as a present-day tiger with saber teeth instead of the correct depiction called a Smilodon]]) kicks Garfield out of the house, disguising him as a saber-toothed tiger while the real tiger is free to roam about through the house whenever he likes. At the end, the tiger is finally driven out of the house and begs for the museum guards to take him back to the museum. The museum guards do so [[spoiler:and it is revealed that Garfield had invited Nermal over to pester the tiger about how cute he was, which was what made the tiger want to leave the house.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'', Webby is kidnapped and held for ransom by the Beagle Boys' cousins, the Beagle Babes. Webby is rescued by the end of the episode, but she developed a bond with the Beagle Babes and doesn't want them to be arrested. Scrooge agrees to drop the charges, provided they work for him. Not wanting that, they willingly let the police arrest them, but not before kissing Webby goodbye.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'', the Tattletale Strangler disguises himself as a bodyguard to get close enough to [=SpongeBob=] to strangle him for turning him in. However, [=SpongeBob=]'s frequent delays, culminating in ''two'' surprise parties, drive the Strangler so insane he throws himself into prison in order to get away from him. [[spoiler: A BrickJoke from after the second party results in the Strangler sharing a cell with ''Patrick'', implying he's still not out of the woods on that front.]]

* In ''TheDeathOfSuperman'' story arc of the Superman comics, Batman catches a terrorist who was going to use Superman's funeral as an opportunity to assassinate a world leader. Batman caught him and said that in Superman's honor, he'd do things Superman's way. The assassin is left tied to a flagpole begging to be arrested because "Batman might come back!"

Can be the result of PityTheKidnapper, UnintentionallyNotoriousCrime or MuggingTheMonster. An interesting subversion is CruelMercy if the hero realizes that jail is too easy for the villain. Contrast TheMobBossIsScarier, where a criminal is so fearsome, that no one will inform on them and will take jail time or other legal penalties rather than risk their wrath.

* Many criminals let themselves be imprisoned so as to evade ComicBook/ThePunisher (and depending on their status may end up in a LuxuryPrisonSuite). When that happens, Frank turns himself in, always getting sent to the same prison, and takes out the criminal (and the criminal's bodyguards, tough guys who want to show off, rival prison gangs, prisoners he runs into on the way, and his cellmate) before breaking out of the prison.

* In the Literature/HonorHarrington short story "What Price Dreams" the control officer of an assassination attempt was detected and mobbed by treecats, to such a degree he screamed for help and made a full confession more or less on the spot to the rangers and bodyguards coming to the scene.

** In one episode inveterate gambler Nick comes in crowing about a big score he had made: he picked all the bowl games, then bet it all on a hockey game and won there too. Then his bookie comes into the detective squad room and turns himself in for illegal betting: turns out '''everyone''' had had the same sting of luck and he can't cover his bets. And not everyone is as nice as Nick is.

* In ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales'', Webby is kidnapped and held for ransom by the Beagle Boys' cousins, the Beagle Babes. Webby is rescued by the end of the episode, but she developed a bond with the Beagle Babes and doesn't want them to be arrested. Scrooge agrees to drop the charges, provided they work for him. Not wanting that, they willingly let the police arrest them, but not before kissing Webby goodbye.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'', the Tattletale Strangler disguises himself as a bodyguard to get close enough to Spongebob to strangle him for turning him in. However, Spongebob's frequent delays, culminating in ''two'' surprise parties, drive the Strangler so insane he throws himself into prison in order to get away from him. [[spoiler: A BrickJoke from after the second party results in the Strangler sharing a cell with ''Patrick'', implying he's still not out of the woods on that front.]]

* In the ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'' episode "Tooth Or Dare", a [[PantheraAwesome saber-toothed tiger]] ([[SomewhereAPaleontologistIsCrying depicted as a present-day tiger with saber teeth instead of the correct depiction called a Smilodon]]) kicks Garfield out of the house, disguising him as a saber-toothed tiger while the real tiger is free to roam about through the house whenever he likes. At the end, the tiger is finally driven out of the house and begs for the museum guards to take him back to the museum. The museum guards do so [[spoiler:and it is revealed that Garfield had invited Nermal over to pester the tiger about how cute he was, which was what made the tiger want to leave the house.]]

* In the ''The New Woody Woodpecker Show'' episode, "Baby Buzzard", Buzz disguises himself as a baby so he can rob Woody's house when Woody starts his babysitting service. When Woody finds out that Buzz is robbing his house, he makes him take a nap with a live, ferocious badger, who mauls him while Woody calls the police. When the Policeman arrives, Buzz begs for him to arrest him. [[spoiler: Subverted at the end, in which [[Main/RuleOfFunny the badger also gets arrested and mauls Buzz while in the paddy wagon]]]].

[[AC:AnimeAndManga]]

[[AC:ComicBooks]]

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

* The ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short, "Bugs and Thugs", has Main/BugsBunny trick Rocky and Mugsy into hiding in a stove, then later impersonate a policeman and light the stove with them still inside. When the real policeman shows up, Rocky and Mugsy beg for him to take them to jail.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''. After his encounter with the Creeper, SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker ''surrenders'' to Batman, declaring the Creeper "a lunatic" without any irony whatsoever.

* Variation in ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman''. In one episode, Penguin tries to hand himself over to Batman because an even more dangerous vigilante named 'Rumor' has begun attacking Gotham's criminal community. Everyone knows that criminals who cross Batman end up handed over to the police and arrested, but criminals Rumor targets are abducted and ever seen again, so Penguin decides a jail cell is the safest place he can be.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/MisterT'' titled "Mystery of the Stranger" deals with abducted kids. Mr. T and company track down a pair of kidnappers. Eventually, Mr. T catches one of them and with a DeathGlare, offers the kidnapper a choice: face him or go to jail. The kidnapper begs to be thrown in jail.

* A variant in ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'': Megavolt and Quackerjack for once ''don't'' want to break out of the St. Canard Jail. Given that they're in an alternate future and that future's Darkwing has gone KnightTemplar, they have a good reason.

Note that this strategy does not always work. An extremely determined person may follow the villain back to the prison he's trying to go to escape from him. The point is, however, that prison isn't a concern for the bad guy anymore. all that matters is getting this annoyance/terror off his back.

* Many criminals let themselves be imprisoned so as to evade ThePunisher (and depending on their status may end up in a LuxuryPrisonSuite). When that happens, Frank turns himself in, always getting sent to the same prison, and takes out the criminal (and the criminal's bodyguards, tough guys who want to show off, rival prison gangs, prisoners he runs into on the way, and his cellmate) before breaking out of the prison.

** The episode, "Child Fearing" has Mojo Jojo being released from prison to babysit Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup while the Professor is at a meeting. At first, he wants them to help him take over Townsville, but [[Main/BadlyBatteredBabysitter taking care of them is too much for him to handle]], and he calls the police so they can take him back to jail.