The Ming criminal law also had some very strict regulations for priests. Since 1398, the official criminal law of the Ming had stated that owning a "dudie" was the only valid proof of identity for Buddhist monks and Taoist priests. Falsely claiming to be a priest without this identification was illegal and was punishable with 80 lashings. If self-declared priests were shaven by their family members, those family members were also guilty. If a priest in charge of a temple had accepted invalid priests into their temple, they would be charged with the same crime and forced to secularize.