Perjury facts for kids

NSA director Alexander (left) and DNI director Clapper (right) both lied under oath to Congress.

Perjury is when someone tells a lie after promising to tell the truth. This promise is called an "oath." People usually take an oath in a courtroom or when signing important documents. Lying under oath is against the law and can lead to serious trouble, like going to jail or prison.

Perjury is a serious crime because it can make a court's job harder. It might even lead to the wrong person being punished. In the United States, someone who commits perjury can face up to five years in prison.

Sometimes, a person says or signs something "under penalty of perjury." This means they are promising to tell the truth, even if they haven't sworn an oath. For example, when people fill out their income tax forms in the United States, they sign that everything is true. If they lie on these forms, they can be punished with prison time.

A statement is not perjury if it's just a mistake or a different way of understanding something. Perjury only happens if a person purposely lies, knowing that what they are saying is false.

Perjury Laws Around the World

Perjury laws are important in many countries to make sure justice is fair. Here's how some places handle it.

Perjury in Canada

In Canada, the crime of perjury is explained in their Criminal Code. It means saying something false when you know it's not true. People who commit perjury in Canada can be sent to prison for up to fourteen years.

Perjury in the European Union

If someone in the Court of Justice of the European Communities swears to something they know is false, they are guilty of perjury. This court helps make sure laws are followed across many European countries. Cases about perjury can happen in any country within the European Union.

Perjury in the United States

The idea of perjury in American law comes from old English laws. These laws said that perjury was giving false information under oath about an important issue.

How Perjury is Defined

The American legal system says that perjury is knowingly saying anything false while under oath. This must happen to a "competent tribunal, officer, or person." This means it happens in a proper legal setting. The punishment for perjury in the U.S. can be a fine, up to five years in prison, or both.

See also

In Spanish: Perjurio para niños