Incarceration

Human beings are very good at justifying war and all of the human rights abuses that war involves. We are easily convinced of the righteousness of our causes, and we eagerly seek reassurance that the innocent lives that our militaries have destroyed must not have been so innocent at all. One can see such desires...

According to the Jewish tradition, the period of repentance continues after Yom Kippur until the end of Sukkot. These days may continue to be an opportunity for reflection, but these final days of the holidays are days of celebration. Though none of us know what our fates hold for us, we act as if the...

In 2014, T’ruah submitted a shadow report to the UN arguing that America’s use of solitary confinement violates the Convention Against Torture. This report weaves together Jewish text with human rights law.

This handbook provides a comprehensive guide for Jewish communities learning and engaging in issues related to mass incarceration.

In this article, Rabbi Jonathan Crane examines Jewish texts about incarceration and claims made by activists seeking to end solitary confinement.

"May the Holy Blessed One be filled with mercy for them, strengthening them to withstand this act of torture and keeping them from all harm."

May the One who blessed our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah— Who was with our brother Joseph in the pit and in prison, and with Miriam when she was isolated from the camp for seven days— bless and heal all those who are engaged in hunger strikes against torture and...

In parshat Ki Tetze we encounter the case of the ben sorer u’moreh, the wayward and rebellious son. We read in Devarim 21:18-21 that if a child does not obey his mother and father they should bring him out to the gates of the city before a council of elders, publicly declare him a glutton...

"In this reorientation from one way of doing things to a better one lies the relevance, power, and teaching for our broken criminal justice system today."

This week’s parashah deals with a somewhat puzzling disease, called tzara’at, often translated as “leprosy.” As the Torah describes it, it’s an affliction that could appear on human skin, on clothes, or even infect houses. It’s not clear if the affliction is truly physical, as Leviticus seems to indicate, or if it’s a physical manifestation of...