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 Mississippi, perjury is considered a serious criminal offense. It occurs when an individual knowingly makes a false statement under oath, whether verbally or in writing, and the statement is material to the legal proceeding. The crime of perjury is addressed under Mississippi Code Section 97-9-59, which stipulates that anyone who willfully and corruptly swears or affirms falsely in a court of law, or upon any affidavit or deposition, is guilty of perjury. The punishment for perjury in Mississippi can include imprisonment in the state penitentiary. Additionally, subornation of perjury, which involves persuading or inducing another person to commit perjury, is also a criminal offense and is treated with similar severity. At the federal level, perjury is governed by 18 U.S.C. § 1621, and like state law, it criminalizes the act of making false statements under oath in federal proceedings. The penalties for federal perjury can include fines and imprisonment. Whether prosecuted as a misdemeanor or felony, the classification and severity of the punishment for perjury depend on the specific circumstances of the case and the jurisdiction in which the offense is prosecuted.