Many people with no criminal record found themselves at the mercy of the system for the first time in 2024, following the trauma from October 7 and the Israel-Hamas War, an annual report by the Public Defender's Office, published on Tuesday, revealed.
The first section of the report concerns the connection between the national trauma from the massacres and the war, and crime statistics and criminal procedures. Many ordinary, normative citizens were suddenly faced with criminal procedures, as more and more cases of domestic violence and poverty were opened - all against the backdrop of trauma.
The report details a massive overload on the bureaucracy and authorities that have a hand in the process.
There was also an increase in cases involving teenagers, many of whom are without any set structure.
Crime among teens worsened amid war
This is an ongoing issue and is not new to the war, but it worsened with it, the report notes, after many were evacuated or moved around due to the security situation.
Their set structures were disrupted, communities were broken up, and many were in hotels, in a situation of instability and a lack of stability.
A different, though related trend noted in the report details legislative steps taken by authorities. These include the expansion of policing authorities to allow the use of measures that ordinarily would be used only in emergency situations. These measures are now being used against suspects, as the report also noted a concerning rise in complaints of police brutality.