Example and Hypothetical Scenario. False imprisonment occurs when someone holds another person against that person's will.Learn about this criminal offense here. Holding someone against their will is called false imprisonment and it is against the law. If you are facing false imprisonment charges it could cost you. A person commits false imprisonment when he commits an act of restraint on another person which confines that person in a bounded area. The plaintiff, at the time of the arrest, was committing a crime in the presence of the defendant, and the defendant arrested the plaintiff for that crime) (or). The tort of false imprisonment is an intentional tort. What that means is the person doing the restraining must be actually intending to do so. False imprisonment occurs when a person intentionally and illegally restrains another person's ability to move freely.