Dead or Alive (thing)

The term "Dead or Alive" lost most of its effectiveness in the latter part of the 19th century. This is mainly due to the fact that bounty hunters in the Wild West were not paid nearly as well for the body of the accused as they were for a live person.

Furthermore, California, the site of much of the "Dead or Alive" reward postings, banned the use of the phrase in the 1890's.