412. I Don’t Think So: The prohibition against ransoming a prisoner sentenced to death
You shall not accept ransom for the life of a killer who has been sentenced to death… (Numbers 35:31)
If a person has been convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death, there is no bail, ransom or fine that can be paid in lieu of his sentence. It is simply impossible to redeem him from his fate.
The reason for this mitzvah is clear: if the penalty were “death or $100,000,” rich people could kill with impunity. If they were convicted, they would just pay their fines and go home. That’s a recipe for anarchy. (And just how comfortable would average people feel knowing that others of greater means could effectively commit murder for money? Not very!)
This mitzvah applies to both men and women in Temple times, when capital cases are tried. In the Talmud, it is discussed in tractate Kesubos on page 37b. This mitzvah is codified in the Mishneh Torah in the first chapter of Hilchos Rotzei’ach. It is #295 of the 365 negative mitzvos in the Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvos.