CJUS Discussion Board Forum 4
Each of the scriptures below concern a given criminal procedure topic. All scriptures are from the New
International Version, 1984. Begin this assignment by meditating on the given scriptures. You may
even want to pray about them. Psalm 119:18 recommends this prayer: �Open my eyes that I may
see wonderful things in your law.� Once you have done that, answer the questions below.
Witnesses:
Deuteronomy 19:15 “One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he
may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”
Deuteronomy 17:6 “On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but no
one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.”
Cross Examination:
Proverbs 18:17 “The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions
him.”
Deuteronomy 19:16�19 “If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime, the two
men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and the judges
who are in office at the time. The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness
proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, then do to him as he intended to do to
his brother. You must purge the evil from among you.”
Physical Evidence:
Deuteronomy 22:13�18 “If a man takes a wife and, after lying with her, dislikes her and slanders her
and gives her a bad name, saying, �I married this woman, but when I approached her, I did not find
CJUS Discussion Board Forum 4
proof of her virginity,� then the girl�s father and mother shall bring proof that she was a virgin to the
town elders at the gate. The girl�s father will say to the elders, “I gave my daughter in marriage to
this man, but he dislikes her. Now he has slandered her and said, �I did not find your daughter to be
a virgin.� But here is the proof of my daughter�s virginity.” Then her parents shall display the cloth
before the elders of the town, and the elders shall take the man and punish him.”
Exodus 22:12-13 “But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, he must make restitution to the
owner. If it was torn to pieces by a wild animal, he shall bring in the remains as evidence and he will
not be required to pay for the torn animal.”
Answer the following questions for your thread:
–Did these scriptures change or confirm your views about how criminal procedure should operate
according to each topic?
–How does our current system deal with each topic?
–How could our current system change (or not) to deal with each topic in a more biblical manner?
–Provide at least 1 reference and 1 different scripture (other than those given above) in support of
your post.
CJUS Discussion Board Forum 4
- Did these scriptures change or confirm your views about how criminal procedure
should operate according to each topic?
The scriptures confirmed my views on how the criminal procedures should be conducted. I
have always known that witnesses play significant role during the criminal procedures as they
give the jury with relevant information that could guide them in reaching the appropriate
decision. Although I knew the higher the number of witnesses the better, I had not thought
keenly on the appropriate number of witnesses. The following scriptures have made me
embrace the fact of many witnesses 2 Corinthians 13:1; Hebrews 10:28 and Numbers 35:30
(Burnside, 2011). Similarly, the issue of cross examination and use of physical evidence are
heavily relied upon even when dealing with minor cases. Therefore, the scriptures only
confirmed my views. These criminal procedures ensure that innocent people are not
convicted. For example, Deuteronomy 17:6-7 and Numbers 5:11-31, which indicates that
whatever the cases, it must be related to the evidence which will ensure that execution is not
done executed - How does our current system deal with each topic?
In our current systems witnesses play a vital role in criminal cases as they narrate to the jury
of the matters they know. In our constitution, they are required to make an oath that they are
telling the truth (Kenny, 2014). The issue of cross examination is vital in each case
proceeding. The scriptures Proverbs 18:13 and Proverbs 18:18 support this concept as it
argues that a person that makes decisions before hearing and examining it will result to folly
and shame. Cross examination of a case and use of physical evidence is supported by the
current systems, where each case presented, witnesses and evidences are cross examined
before a judgement is made. This is important as it helps prevent biased judgement (Burnside,
2011).
CJUS Discussion Board Forum 4
- How could our current system change (or not) to deal with each topic in a more
biblical manner?
As indicated, all of the three topics are embraced by the current system, so there is no much
that needs to be changes. All cases must be thoroughly investigated, and the information
gathered becomes cross examined to ensure no details are omitted. The only issue that tend
to differ with the scriptures is the exact number of witnesses needed to make judgements
about a person. Our current system allows evidence from one person, as long as the evidence
is convincing beyond reasonable doubt, and supported by physical evidence and findings
from cross examination (Kenny, 2014).
Although the bible does not support the use of one witness as indicated in 2 Corinthians 13:1,
one witness comprehensive information can be sufficient to convict a person- for example
consider rape case where only the suspect and victim are involved, but the suspects DNA or
incriminating evidence is found on victims body- isn’t the evidence and witness testimony to
make a conclusive decision (Burnside, 2011)? If the use of two witnesses is to ensure that
innocent people are not accused wrongly, then, is there a chance for the witnesses to be
corrupted? In this case, what is the ideal number of witnesses in a court ruling? What are the
strategies used to reach such decisions? This is an interesting topic that would I would be
interested to explore further.
CJUS Discussion Board Forum 4
References
Burnside, J. (2011). God, justice, and society. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Kenny, P. (2014). Sustainability of Restorative Justice. Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
