The Bible and criminal procedures

¶ … Bible and criminal procedures

It is gratifying to read the Bible's teachings on matters pertaining to the criminal justice system such as witnesses given the parallels they have with our own contemporary notions of fair and just actions. The Bible counsels that it is not enough to have a single witness to condemn an individual; in the United States, although there is not a formal requirement of a specific number of witnesses during a trial unlike the Bible, there is growing awareness that eyewitness testimony can be biased and in general the prosecutor must bring forth a variety of evidence to warrant a conviction before a jury. The Bible also mandates the need for cross-examination and the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution specifically gives all defendants the right to confront their accusers. The Bible also punishes false witnesses and in the U.S. perjury is a crime. Perjury is not specifically punished by the punishment of the accused being meted out against the accuser as it is in the Bible, but it is still a serious crime.

The laws about physical evidence in the Bible specifically pertain to matters that are of less concern to individuals today, like physical proof of virginity or the possession of livestock. However, they still suggest the principle of the need for physical evidence vs. hearsay to convict an individual of a crime. Hearsay is: "Broadly, an out-of-court statement offered to prove the truth of whatever it asserts. Hearsay evidence is often inadmissible at trial" ("Hearsay," 2014). The Bible and current U.S. law thus both reflect the idea that human beings are fallible and multiple sources and types of evidence should ideally be consulted to bring about a conviction. Only God is omniscient, human beings are not, and one cannot convict assuming that a single voice or perspective is all-knowing and unbiased like the divine.