Attitudes Towards Crime

Why crime is a religious as well as a social problem

A crime is an act that breaks the law. Jewish attitudes towards crime are also shaped by Halakhah, Jewish religious law, and the moral teachings of the Torah. An action such as theft can therefore be both a crime against society and a sin against God.

The Ten Commandments forbid murder and theft: ‘Do not murder’ (Exodus 20:13) and ‘Do not steal’ (Exodus 20:15). These teachings protect human life and other people's property. They show that how someone treats another person is part of their responsibility towards God. However, crime and sin are not identical: dishonesty can be morally wrong without every instance of it being a criminal offence.

Crime harms more than its immediate victim. Theft causes material loss, but it can also leave someone feeling unsafe and unable to trust others. When this happens across a community, relationships and peace are damaged. Jewish concern for shalom, meaning peace, therefore gives communities a reason both to respond to crime and to prevent it.

Deuteronomy 11: obedience, education and consequences

Deuteronomy 11 addresses the Israelites as they prepare to enter the land God has promised them. It connects love of God with obedience: verse 1 tells them to love God and keep his commandments ‘alway’. Applied to crime, this means that avoiding wrongdoing is not simply about escaping punishment by the state; it is also part of faithfulness to God.

The chapter makes teaching these commandments a daily responsibility. Verse 19 says, ‘And ye shall teach them your children’, describing conversations at home, while travelling, at bedtime and on rising. Moral education should therefore be woven into ordinary family life, rather than confined to occasional religious lessons. This supports Jewish efforts to prevent crime by helping children learn and practise responsible behaviour.

Verses 26–28 present ‘a blessing and a curse’: a blessing for obeying God's commandments and a curse for rejecting them and following other gods. Earlier verses connect obedience with rain and fruitful harvests, and turning away from God with the loss of these blessings. The chapter presents obedience as important for the wellbeing of the whole community, with serious consequences for disobedience.

For attitudes towards crime, the connection is that choices matter before God and can affect others. The passage is not a list of criminal offences or a modern sentencing policy; its teaching about obedience, responsibility and education helps explain why Jews should resist wrongdoing and guide others to do the same.

Why people commit crimes

Jewish teaching recognises a struggle between the yetzer hara, the inclination towards selfishness or wrongdoing, and the yetzer tov, the inclination towards goodness. Someone may be tempted to take another person's possessions, but can choose to resist that temptation. This helps explain why individuals remain accountable for their actions.

Moral education can strengthen good choices. Families, teachers and religious leaders teach honesty, respect, justice and compassion so that people understand why wrongdoing harms others, rather than simply fearing punishment. Learning and practising the Torah's commandments provides guidance for everyday decisions.

Crime also has social and economic causes. Poverty may place someone under pressure to obtain necessities illegally; inequality and exclusion can contribute to resentment or a lack of opportunities. Addiction and family breakdown can also contribute to circumstances in which crime occurs. These are possible contributing factors, not inevitable causes: experiencing hardship does not make someone a criminal.

These explanations lead to two connected responses. Individuals need moral guidance and must take responsibility for their choices, while communities should also tackle conditions that make harmful choices more likely. Explaining a person's circumstances does not mean excusing the harm they cause.

Jewish individuals and synagogues: preventing crime

Tzedakah means giving to those in need as an obligation of justice and righteousness. Jewish individuals can donate money, volunteer and support people experiencing hardship. Meeting needs can reduce desperation, while regular personal support can reduce isolation.

Synagogues are places of worship, but they also provide community support and education. Religious teaching can develop honesty and respect for others, putting into practice Deuteronomy 11's emphasis on passing on God's commandments. Youth activities and mentoring can offer positive role models, a sense of belonging and constructive ways to spend time.

Synagogue outreach can support families facing unemployment or mental health difficulties. The connection with crime prevention is important: practical assistance tackles hardship, while community relationships help people obtain support rather than face difficulties alone. Such work benefits people in its own right; recipients should not be treated as potential offenders.

Jewish Care: practical help with underlying difficulties

Jewish Care provides a concrete example of Jewish community support. Its Social Work and Community Support Service helps individuals and families identify their needs, access appropriate services and deal with local authorities. Its approach emphasises dignity and choice: workers discuss suitable support with the person and help put it in place.

Its Disability and Welfare Rights team helps adults live as independently as possible, obtain useful equipment and resources, and receive the benefits to which they are entitled. Help with benefit entitlements can ease financial hardship, addressing one possible pressure associated with crime.

Its Family Carers team provides practical and emotional support through individual meetings, support groups, telephone conversations and email. Supporting carers can reduce isolation and pressures within families. Shalvata supports Holocaust survivors and refugees through practical advice, counselling, assessments and help with grant applications.

The purpose of these services is to support people's wellbeing and independence. Their relevance to crime prevention is that they address hardship, isolation and unmet needs—conditions that can contribute to wider social problems. Providing support does not guarantee that crime will disappear, but it tackles some of its possible underlying causes.

Accountability, repentance and lasting change

Preventing crime also involves helping people avoid repeating it. Teshuvah, or repentance, requires recognising wrongdoing, making amends and committing to changed behaviour. For theft, this includes returning what was stolen or making restitution, rather than merely apologising.

This connects with restorative justice, which seeks to repair the harm caused by crime. Supporting an offender's rehabilitation can help them change, but it must not erase the victim's needs or the offender's responsibility.

Moral teaching alone may not remove poverty or addiction. Equally, financial assistance alone cannot guarantee that someone will choose honestly. A strong Jewish response combines moral education, practical support, accountability and opportunities for repentance: it addresses both people's choices and the circumstances in which they make them.