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 Rhode Island, 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 is covered under Rhode Island General Laws, specifically in Title 11, which pertains to criminal offenses. Perjury can be prosecuted as either a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on the circumstances and the severity of the situation. Subornation of perjury, which involves persuading or inducing another person to commit perjury, is also a criminal offense in Rhode Island. The penalties for perjury and subornation of perjury can include fines, imprisonment, or both. Additionally, under federal law, perjury is a criminal offense as outlined in 18 U.S.C. §1621, and it carries its own set of penalties that can be imposed if the perjury occurs in relation to a federal proceeding.