Perjury is the criminal offense of making a false statement under oath—verbally or in writing—that the witness knows to be false and that is material to the proceeding in which the statement is made. And suborning perjury or subornation of perjury is the criminal offense of procuring the perjury of another person.

Perjury is a criminal offense under both state and federal laws and may be prosecuted as a misdemeanor or as a felony offense, depending on the state or federal jurisdiction, and whether there are any aggravating factors that increase the seriousness of the crime. Perjury laws are located in state statutes—often in the penal or criminal code—and the federal perjury law is located in the United States Code at 18 U.S.C. §1621.

In Arkansas, perjury is considered a serious criminal offense. It is defined as knowingly making a false statement under oath, whether verbally or in writing, that is material to the proceeding at hand. This applies to statements made not only in court but also in other official proceedings. Arkansas categorizes perjury as a Class C felony under Arkansas Code Annotated § 5-53-101. The punishment for a Class C felony in Arkansas can include imprisonment and fines. Additionally, the crime of suborning perjury, which involves persuading or inducing another person to commit perjury, is also a criminal offense under Arkansas law. At the federal level, perjury is governed by 18 U.S.C. § 1621, and it is punishable by fines and/or imprisonment. The federal statute applies to all statements made under oath in federal jurisdictions, and the penalties can be severe, especially if the perjury has the potential to significantly affect the outcome of federal proceedings.