Spouse and Crime

Message / Question

Why do some churches guilt people to report their spouses for crime? Isn't there a reason why before all of the divorce problems, spouses used to be protected for reporting the crime of their spouses??

ResponseSpouse and Crime

I’m not sure who “guilts” people to report their spouse. Certainly, there are some issues that need to be reported to Police – no woman, for example, should ever be subjected to violence in her home, nor should the children of the home be subjected to violence and abuse. Where things such as these occur, I would certainly encourage a spouse to report the matter for their own safety and wellbeing. Of course there may be legal issues that are involved as well; if you are aware that a crime has been committed and know the perpetrator but fail to report the matter to Police, you may find that you have committed a crime and may face charges. I’m not sure of any link between divorce and reporting a crime, however I believe that it may still be the case that a spouse has some limitation as to what evidence that they may be required to give against their spouse.