Lies tend to create problems with both the teller and others. However, not usually the sort of trouble that can land you behind bars. Only certain situations merit criminal charges for telling a lie. To find out more, read on.

The Truth Counts

Lying under oath is considered serious because the justice system is built on finding out the truth. Known as perjury, those who lie under oath are often on the witness stand. However, perjury is far broader in its reach and covers all sorts of courts, legal proceedings, and financial issues. You can even commit perjury online by signing documents that contain false information. Here is what else to know about perjury, starting with what perjury is not:

1. Silence is not perjury nor is it a refusal to answer a question. However, refusals and silence may also be different crimes in some circumstances.
2. If you cannot remember a fact when questioned, that is not perjury. However, if you speculate and then say something different later, that could be perjury.
3. Mistakes are also not perjury. For instance, you might testify that you saw the defendant at a certain time and location. However, later it might appear that what you saw was a case of mistaken identification. Witnesses who intentionally misidentify someone with the goal of deceiving, however, could be committing perjury.
4. If a witness made false statements to a lawyer outside of court, it's not perjury. Only statements made in an official capacity after being sworn in can be charged as perjury.
5. The statement must have potential consequences for it to be perjury. It must involve providing information that could be material to the case at hand. The statement must influence the case. For instance, if you claim, under oath, that you are related to the Queen of England, that may not be perjury even if it's an obvious lie. The case may not have anything to do with the royal family and thus the lie is not material.

Fighting Perjury Charges

Prove that the statement is true. It's not a case of perjury if the statement is true. Your criminal defense lawyer can set about getting the charges dropped if what you said turned out to be true, a mistake, or the result of confusion on your part. As long as you can show that you had no intention of providing a false statement you have a chance to have the charges dropped. In some states, those who provided false information can recant or withdraw the statement later without facing perjury charges.

Perjury convictions can result in prison time and high fines. Don't dismiss this charge as minor. Speak to a criminal defense lawyer like Elizabeth Franklin-Best, P.C. and find out more.