Austin Criminal Defense Lawyers

Perjury

Among the many crimes that people can commit, perjury is one of them. Perjury, simply, is the act of lying under oath. If someone is being questioned in court and lies, that individual has committed perjury.

Perjury carries with it severe criminal penalties, namely significant jail time. Many people have been prosecuted for perjury. Most notably in recent history, former President Bill Clinton was accused of perjury in the hearings related to his extra-marital affair.

Making lying under oath a crime is very important for the effective functioning of the justice system. If people were in court or were being questioned by prosecutors and could lie without penalties, then courts would not be able to conduct fair, honest trials based on facts. Creating the crime of perjury allows the justice system to function effectively by deterring people from skewing the facts needed to decide the outcome of a case.

Important to consider, however, is that even if someone does not commit perjury but plans on committing perjury, then that individual has committed a crime. The crime is called "conspiracy to commit perjury" and involves the intention to lie under oath.

Although of course law enforcement officials cannot absolutely prevent someone from committing perjury or conspiring to commit perjury, by making perjury and creating plans to commit perjury criminal acts, the law can at least force people to think twice before they lie or conspire to lie under oath.

Contact an Austin Criminal Defense Attorney

If you have been charged with perjury, a good criminal defense lawyer can help. For more information about perjury, contact the Austin perjury attorneys of Ian Inglis by calling 512-472-1950.