Crime and Punishment
Justice: Fairness Before God
Jewish teaching says that justice matters because a fair society reflects God’s own character as judge. Deuteronomy 19:19–21 sets out a key principle: the punishment given to a person who commits a crime should match the harm they caused — “life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” This teaching, sometimes called lex talionis, is not usually applied literally today. Most Jews understand it as teaching proportionality: the punishment must fit the crime, no more and no less.
Justice matters to the victim because it gives them a sense that wrongdoing has been addressed and that they have not been forgotten. Some non-religious people, including atheists and Humanists, argue that justice matters regardless of religion — it is simply part of living well together in a fair society, built on reason and human rights rather than divine command. Jewish thinkers respond that this shared commitment to fairness shows that Jewish teaching and non-religious ethics can reach the same conclusion, even though Jews trace the origin of justice back to God as law-giver and judge.
Deuteronomy 19:19–21 teaches that punishment must be proportionate to the crime committed — not more severe, not less. This idea underpins Jewish attitudes to both punishment and the death penalty.
Crime: Causes and Community Action
Jewish teaching links wrongdoing to turning away from God’s law. Deuteronomy 11 warns that following God’s commandments brings blessing, while ignoring them leads a community away from the right path and towards wrongdoing. Many Jews see poverty, family breakdown and a lack of moral education as causes of crime, alongside this spiritual dimension — when people are cut off from community and support, they are more likely to be drawn into crime.
Jewish individuals and groups work to remove the causes of crime rather than simply punishing it after it happens. Jewish Care, a British Jewish charity, supports vulnerable people — including the elderly, those with mental health difficulties and struggling families — to prevent the poverty and isolation that can lead to crime. Synagogues also run welfare and support programmes for their local Jewish communities, offering practical and emotional help before problems escalate into wrongdoing.
Good, Evil and Suffering
The Torah teaches that good actions are rewarded and evil actions are punished. In Exodus 33, Moses asks to see God’s glory, and God reveals his goodness to him — teaching that goodness comes from closeness to God, and that doing good draws a person nearer to him. Evil actions, by contrast, are understood as separating a person from God and inviting judgement.
Non-religious people, including atheists and Humanists, sometimes argue that belief in religion itself can cause suffering — for example, by teaching people to accept hardship passively as God’s will rather than working to change it. Jews respond that Jewish teaching does not ask believers to accept suffering passively; instead, figures such as the prophets actively challenged injustice, and Jews are encouraged to work for change in the world rather than simply endure it.
Jewish teaching does not give one single answer to why people suffer. Some Jews believe suffering can be a punishment for sin, or a test of faith that strengthens a person’s relationship with God. Others point to the Book of Job, where a righteous man suffers without any clear reason, to argue that some suffering is simply beyond human understanding and should not always be linked to personal wrongdoing.
These divergent views matter because they shape how Jews respond to suffering in their own lives and in others’. A Jew who sees suffering as a test may respond with patience and prayer, while one who follows the Job model may focus on supporting the sufferer without assuming they deserve it.
Punishment: Purpose and Importance
Leviticus 24:19–21 repeats the principle of proportionate punishment: “fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” For Jews, punishment is a form of justice — it restores balance after a wrong has been done and shows that society takes the harm seriously. Punishment is also seen as necessary for an ordered society: without consequences for wrongdoing, victims would have no redress and others might be tempted to break the law.
Jewish teaching on punishment rests on proportionality (Leviticus 24:19–21) and on the idea that punishment upholds justice and social order, rather than existing only to cause suffering.
Aims of Punishment: Divergent Views
Genesis 9:1–6 states that “whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed,” a teaching often used to support retribution as an aim of punishment. Jews hold divergent views on which aim of punishment matters most. Some emphasise retribution, arguing that offenders deserve consequences equal to their crime. Others stress deterrence, believing punishment should discourage future crime, or reformation, believing the purpose of punishment is to help the offender change and rejoin the community. Most Jews would agree that punishment is needed in society to protect people and maintain justice, even while they disagree about which aim should come first.
Jewish teaching places great importance on forgiveness. Psalm 130 declares, “out of the depths I cry to you, Lord… but with you there is forgiveness,” showing that forgiveness is central to a right relationship with God. Isaiah 55:6–8 teaches that the wicked should forsake their ways and turn back to God, “for he will freely pardon.” This teaches Jews that offenders can be forgiven by the community, provided they are genuinely sorry and change their behaviour.
This links to restorative justice, which Isaiah 55:6–8 also supports: because God offers pardon to those who turn back, Jews believe offenders should be given the chance to repair the harm they caused and be reintegrated into the community. This matters for criminals because it gives them a genuine path back to a law-abiding life, rather than only excluding them through punishment.
Treatment of Criminals
Deuteronomy 19 requires more than one witness before anyone can be convicted of a crime, protecting the accused from unfair conviction and establishing the Jewish commitment to a fair trial. Most Jews strongly support human rights for criminals, including the right to a fair trial and, where used, trial by jury, and oppose the use of torture. However, some Jews apply situation ethics to argue that torture might be acceptable in an extreme situation if it produces a greater good, such as preventing serious harm to many people — though this remains a controversial minority view.
The Death Penalty
Capital punishment is the most serious punishment a state can use, reserved for the most serious crimes. Exodus 21:12–25 supports its use for murder, stating that a person who fatally strikes another should themselves be put to death — a “life for life” principle. However, Jewish tradition also shows deep caution about using it: Mishnah Makkot 1:10 records that a Jewish court which carries out an execution even once in seven years was regarded by some rabbis as a “bloodthirsty” court, showing that Jewish teaching does not encourage its frequent use.
Jews hold divergent views on the death penalty today: some argue it is justified by Exodus 21 as proportionate retribution for murder, while others point to the Mishnah’s caution and argue that modern justice systems should not use it at all. Non-religious people, including atheists and Humanists, often argue against capital punishment on human rights grounds, saying no state should have the power to take life, or apply situation ethics by asking whether execution truly produces the most loving outcome in a given case. Many Jews agree with this reluctance, believing that alternatives such as long imprisonment better reflect Jewish values of the sanctity of life.