diff --git a/helper/jsonutil/json.go b/helper/jsonutil/json.go
index 4c8d953797..c237db0f64 100644
--- a/helper/jsonutil/json.go
+++ b/helper/jsonutil/json.go
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
-	"reflect"
 )
 
 // Encodes/Marshals the given object into JSON
@@ -39,12 +38,6 @@ func DecodeJSONFromReader(r io.Reader, out interface{}) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("output parameter 'out' is nil")
 	}
 
-	// Decoding requires a pointer type to be supplied
-	value := reflect.ValueOf(out)
-	if value.Kind() != reflect.Ptr {
-		return fmt.Errorf("decoding the value into a non-pointer type: %v", reflect.TypeOf(out))
-	}
-
 	dec := json.NewDecoder(r)
 
 	// While decoding JSON values, intepret the integer values as `json.Number`s instead of `float64`.
diff --git a/helper/jsonutil/json_test.go b/helper/jsonutil/json_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d7e85d2b5f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/helper/jsonutil/json_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+package jsonutil
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"fmt"
+	"reflect"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func Test_EncodeJSON(t *testing.T) {
+	input := map[string]interface{}{
+		"test":       "data",
+		"validation": "process",
+	}
+
+	actualBytes, err := EncodeJSON(input)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to encode JSON: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	actual := strings.TrimSpace(string(actualBytes))
+	expected := `{"test":"data","validation":"process"}`
+
+	if actual != expected {
+		t.Fatal("bad: encoded JSON: expected:%s\nactual:%s\n", expected, string(actualBytes))
+	}
+}
+
+func Test_DecodeJSON(t *testing.T) {
+	input := `{"test":"data","validation":"process"}`
+
+	var actual map[string]interface{}
+
+	err := DecodeJSON([]byte(input), &actual)
+	if err != nil {
+		fmt.Printf("decoding err: %v\n", err)
+	}
+
+	expected := map[string]interface{}{
+		"test":       "data",
+		"validation": "process",
+	}
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(actual, expected) {
+		t.Fatal("bad: expected:%#v\nactual:%#v", expected, actual)
+	}
+}
+
+func Test_DecodeJSONFromReader(t *testing.T) {
+	input := `{"test":"data","validation":"process"}`
+
+	var actual map[string]interface{}
+
+	err := DecodeJSONFromReader(bytes.NewReader([]byte(input)), &actual)
+	if err != nil {
+		fmt.Printf("decoding err: %v\n", err)
+	}
+
+	expected := map[string]interface{}{
+		"test":       "data",
+		"validation": "process",
+	}
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(actual, expected) {
+		t.Fatal("bad: expected:%#v\nactual:%#v", expected, actual)
+	}
+}