Jewish law goes beyond protecting against self-incrimination; a person
who confesses to having committed an illegal act is not believed. The
Talmudic principle is "ein adam meisim atzmo rasha" -- "a man cannot
declare himself wicked". The source for this is Talmud Sanhedrin 9b;
it's codified in Maimonides' Mishneh Torah, Edus (Testimony), 12:2,
and in Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat 34:25, and there's an article on
it in the first volume of the Talmudic Encyclopedia. Authorities differ
as to whether we believe a self-incriminating confession if the illegal
act was only rabbinically forbidden, or whether we believe it as regards
associated monetary liabilities (since confessions on monetary matters
are accepted).
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