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1194. Believers Charged With Criminal Offences*
"…regarding believers who have been charged with criminal offences, suspected to have committed such offences, or convicted by the court. The principle to bear in mind is that each case falling in any of the aforementioned categories should be considered separately on its own merits. No hard and fast rule should be applied.
"…it should be realized that the application of Bahá’í sanctions is not an automatic action in response to a verdict of the court."
- (From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly, May 3, 1967: Extracts Concerning Crime, Criminals, Prisoners and Related Subjects, a compilation)
*(See also: No. 187)
1195. Bahá’í Institutions Cannot Enforce Criminal Laws at Present—Such Cases are Handled in Civil Court
"…you cite violations of the criminal laws of the state. These cases are handled in the civil courts, and may or may not be subject to Bahá’í administrative action depending upon the nature of the offence and its effect on the Faith. Generally speaking the development of the Administrative Order has not progressed to the point where Bahá’í institutions enforce criminal laws."
- (From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly, May 7, 1974: Ibid.)
1196. Rehabilitation of Criminals Left to Experts in that Field
"…Bahá’u’lláh has given us the general moral and social principles to guide our lives, but their application to the rehabilitation of criminals is left to the experts in that field to develop in the same way that economics is left to economists."
- (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice, September 3, 1974: Ibid.)
1197. Administrative Action in Cases Involving Disobedience to Civil Law
"We have your letter…asking about administrative action in cases involving disobedience to civil law.
"…We think it is not possible to make a categorical statement applying to all cases. Each case should be decided on its own merits."
- (From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly, December 7, 1969: Ibid.)
1198. Penalty for Arson—Laws for a More Evolved Society
"As regards the question you raised about the penalty for arson in the Aqdas, the penalty for arson is burning or life imprisonment; in other words the same penalty as for first degree murder.
"We must not question this, but studying the Bahá’í Faith and its Teachings in their entirety, realize that the law of God for this Day is a healing for the nations, and that, at a future period when a purely Bahá’í society exists and these laws can be enforced, humanity may have reached a much higher point of evolution than at present, and the mere threat of them may be sufficient in most cases to protect the Community and protect the law from being broken."
- (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, February 15, 1957)
1199. Capital Punishment and the Criminally Insane
"The question of whether capital punishment should be inflicted on the criminally insane is one for the Universal House of Justice to decide. Such people, however, not being responsible for their actions, will not suffer any spiritual effect from acts committed while mentally deranged."
- (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, August 25, 1939)
1200. Suicide is Forbidden in the Cause*
"Suicide is forbidden in the Cause. God Who is the Author of all life can alone take it away, and dispose of it in the way He deems best. Whoever commits suicide endangers his soul, and will suffer spiritually as a result in the other Worlds Beyond."
- (Ibid.)
*(See also: Nos. 674-678)
